Rhode Island, USA Photograph by The GLOBE Program   Eastern North America: Northeastern United States Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests   34,600 square miles (Nearly 90,000 square kilometers) -- about the size of Indiana Critical/Endangered

· Birdwatchers’ Paradise
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Birdwatchers’ Paradise

More than 250 species of birds are found in this ecoregion, and they attract a legion of admirers. Throughout the year, with binoculars in hand, throngs of birders head to the forests and the shores in hopes of adding more species to their life lists. From shorebirds along water's edge to migratory wood warblers in the coastal forests, the bird diversity here is exceptional.

Special Features

More than 9,000 years before the arrival of European settlers in the Northeast, Native Americans routinely set fires as a way of managing the native vegetation, attracting wildlife, and increasing visibility for hunting. Open, park-like forests became characteristic of this ecoregion. In addition to these diverse forests, this ecoregion is home to the largest expanse of serpentine barrens in the eastern United States. Serpentine barrens are a mixture of prairie, savanna, and woodland areas with characteristic plants and animals that can survive the toxic minerals found in serpentine rocks.

	Chestnut trees were once plentiful in the Northeast, but a fungus accidentally introduced in 1904 caused a blight that killed most of the chestnuts within 20 years.

Wild Side

Shorebirds feast on an abundance of horseshoe crab eggs along the shores of the Delaware Bay, which also serves as an important corridor for migrating birds. Bog turtles, a rare and threatened species, can be found in this ecoregion, as well as a colorful mix of butterflies. The forests themselves are a mix of southern species such as sweet gum and Spanish oak, along with northern species such as white oak and northern red oak.

Cause for Concern

The Northeast is known more for its big cities and people than its wildlife. It is not surprising, therefore, that more than 98 percent of the ecoregion has been lost to cities and their associated suburban sprawl. When the first settlers came, the northeastern forests were the first in the United States to suffer from heavy logging. Practically no old-growth forest remains in this ecoregion today. Unfortunately, development in this area continues to grow and is expected to significantly alter at least 25 percent of the remaining intact habitat within the next 20 years. Shoreline erosion, exotic species, and overcollecting also threaten native plants such as wild orchids.

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