The Trans-Baikal conifer forests stretch across southern Siberia in Russia and into northern Mongolia, centered on the Yablonoi and Khentii Mountains east and south of Lake Baikal in the historic region long called Dauria or Transbaikal. This mountainous taiga is a transitional zone where the dark-needled forests of western Siberia meet the light-needled larch forests of the east, with Dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii), Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica), and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) dominating the slopes while bunchgrass-and-fescue steppe occupies the warmest lowlands. The climate is dry-winter subarctic (Koppen Dwc), bringing long, very cold winters with little snow and cool summers. The ecoregion shelters notable wildlife including white-naped cranes and the vulnerable Siberian musk deer, and is safeguarded by several protected areas, among them the UNESCO World Heritage site of Lake Baikal and Russian zapovedniks (strict nature reserves). Gardeners may recognize understory natives such as Rhododendron dauricum, an early-flowering ornamental shrub of these forests.

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