Fundy National Park, New Brunswick, Canada Photograph by S. Leslie   Eastern North America: Northeastern United States into Canada Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests   91,700 square miles (237,600 square kilometers) --about the size of Oregon Critical/Endangered

· Where the Birds Are
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Where the Birds Are

Meadows and mudflats, mountains and forests make up this ecoregion that supports a wide diversity of creatures, from black bears to crowned kinglets. The New England/Acadian Forests are home to a major influx of spring migratory birds that feed on caterpillars.

Special Features

The hills, mountains and plateaus that distinguish this ecoregion were created by the glaciers that once covered it. Today, the climate includes warm, moist summers and cold, snowy winters. In coastal areas, the sea salt spray and strong winds of the Atlantic Ocean shape forest dynamics, while further inland, natural fires play a more important role. This is especially true in New Brunswick, where fires can affect an area of 4 to 39 square miles (10 to 100 square kilometers). There are many different types of forests in this ecoregion, as well as many fast-flowing, cold rocky rivers with interesting communities of plants and animals. And in western Massachusetts and eastern New York, fen (flooded peat marsh) ecosystems support bog turtles.

Now increasingly forested, parts of the landscape here have changed dramatically over the past 350 years. Once covered by primeval forest, farmers cleared the land for agriculture at such a pace that by the middle of the 19th century farm crops or pastures covered nearly three-quarters of the arable land in southern and central New England. One hundred years later, forests again blanketed 75 percent of New England-the result of an era of farm abandonment brought on by the opening of richer farmland to the west, the building of railroads, the Civil War, and even the California Gold Rush. Unfortunately, the forests are again being cleared by the logging industry.

Wild Side

On the highest mountain peaks of this ecoregion, rare populations of arctic species thrive in tundra-like alpine meadows. Throughout much of this ecoregion, red spruce, balsam fir, and red pine, along with various combinations of sugar maple, American beech, and yellow birch make up an interesting mosaic of forest types. Some 225 bird species call this ecoregion home. Red-breasted nuthatches nest in tree cavities. Golden crowned kinglets and northern parula warblers search for insects among spring leaves. In nearby streams moose and black bear find refuge from blackflies. They are also home to the highest breeding density of bald eagles in eastern North America. And the salt marshes and tidal flats along the coasts are home to seabirds and migratory shorebirds.

Cause for Concern

Nearly all of the New England Acadian forest has been affected by human activity, whether it be agriculture, mining, or construction of summer homes. While clearing for agriculture was a big threat in the 19th century, logging is the main cause of habitat loss today. Logging is an important industry in areas such as Maine and Quebec, and many areas of this ecoregion are now undergoing a third forest cutting rotation. Agriculture is still extensive in some areas, and the development of ski resorts and residential areas is a growing problem.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.