The Northeast Siberian taiga stretches across northeastern Russia between the Lena and Kolyma rivers, a vast Palearctic boreal landscape framed by the Verkhoyansk and Chersky ranges and underlain throughout by permafrost. Its sparse forests are dominated by Dahurian larch, accompanied by dwarf Siberian pine and silver birch, with seasonal thaw depressions called Alasy supporting meadow vegetation. The climate is extreme subarctic, with long, brutally cold winters and short warm summers; this is among the coldest inhabited regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with recorded lows reaching about minus 68 degrees Celsius. Thanks to its remoteness and difficult access, it remains one of the largest tracts of virgin boreal forest on Earth, home to flagship species such as the Amur lemming and the critically endangered Siberian crane, though only a small fraction is protected and climate change and logging pose growing threats. Gardeners in cold climates may recognize silver birch (Betula) among its native flora, valued as a hardy ornamental.

At a glance

About the boreal forests/taiga biome

The vast northern forest belt of spruce, fir, pine, and larch, defined by long, severe winters and short growing seasons. Often underlain by permafrost and wetlands, the taiga forms one of the world’s largest terrestrial carbon stores.

Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion

Computed from each plant's stated USDA zone range against this ecoregion's CHELSA-derived current zone range, with the CHELSA mid-century warming delta applied for the projection. Plants whose stated range falls outside both the current and projected zone end up dropped; the rest land in one of the three buckets below.

Collections for this ecoregion

Curated multi-plant collections whose members all fit this ecoregion's zone range — no won't-grow members smuggled in. Overall fit class shown per collection is the weakest link across its members.

Related ecoregions