The Taiga Type of Climate is characterized by a harsh, cold environment with little precipitation (snow and rain) and a short growing season. Winters can be long and severe, lasting up to six months, with average temperatures well below freezing. Summers are brief, with only 50 to 100 days without frost.

• Boreal Climate OR Taiga Climate OR Siberian Climate OR Temperate Continental Climate OR Continental Sub-Polar Climate.
• Found only in the northern hemisphere [due to great east-west extent. Absent in the southern hemisphere because of the narrowness in the high
  latitudes].
• Experienced in the regions just below Arctic circle.
• On its poleward side, it merges into the Arctic tundra.
• The climate fades into the temperate Steppe climate.

Distribution

• It stretches along a continuous belt across central Canada, some parts of Scandinavian Europe and most of central and southern Russian. [50° to
  70° N]

Precipitation

• Maritime influence in the interiors is absent.
• Frontal disturbances might occur in winter.
• Typical annual precipitation ranges from 38 cm to 63 cm.
• It is quite well distributed throughout the year, maxima [convectional rain in mid-summer – 15 °C to 24 °C]
• In winter the precipitation is in the form of snow, as mean temperatures are well below freezing all the time.

Natural Vegetation of Taiga Climate

• The predominant vegetation is evergreen coniferous forest.
• The conifers, which require little moisture are best suited to this type of sub-Arctic climate.
• The greatest single band of the coniferous forest is the taiga (a Russian word for coniferous forest) in Siberia.
• In Europe the countries that have a similar type of climate and forests are Sweden and Finland.
• There are small amounts of natural coniferous forest in Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Austria and other parts of Europe.
• In North America, the belt stretches from Alaska across Canada into Labrador.

Lumbering

This is the most important occupation of the Siberian type ofclimate.

• The vast reserves of coniferous forests provide the basis for the lumbering industry.
• Lumberjacks: Contract laborers called lumber jacks used to temporarily move to the forest regions to fell the trees. Now felling is done by machines.
• Paper and pulp industry: Timber is pulped by both chemical and mechanical means to make wood pulp. Wood pulp is the raw material for paper-making and newsprint.

Also read : Warm Temperate Eastern Margin Climate