Satellite view of the central Da Hinggan-Dzhagdy Mountains, on the border of Russia and China Photograph by USGS   Palaearctic Temperate Coniferous Forests   95,900 square miles (248,300 square kilometers) -- about the size of Oregon Vulnerable

· Connecting Hills
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Connecting Hills

The inland plains of northeastern China are ringed by low mountains and hills. This region, called Manchuria, is one of three areas in China that supports extensive forest. It is also here that the Da Hinggan and Dzhagdy ranges run together, connecting China and Russia. Their western slopes are covered with coniferous trees, which make up one of the few remaining natural forests in China.

Special Features

If you want to see the Da Hinggan-Dzhagdy Mountains Coniferous Forests, you'll have to climb at least 1,600 feet (500 m). And you should dress warmly, since it can get as cold as -58° F (-50° C), with freezing temperatures prevailing 270 days of the year. Permafrost, a thick layer of frozen soil just beneath the surface, prevents drainage and creates swampy, acidic growing conditions in some areas. Precipitation is about 14 inches (350 mm) per year, most of it falling in the summer, so the soil is very dry. Forests and wildlife are protected inside two large nature reserves, Hanma and Huzhong. The steep eastern slopes of the Da Hinggan Mountains are covered with Manchurian mixed forests of hardwood and conifer. Forests on the western slope are comprised mainly of larch. These stands give way to the Mongolian-Manchurian Grasslands.

	In 1987, some of the largest wildfires in history spread through the Da Hinggan-Dzhagdy Mountains Coniferous Forests. The fires probably started in Russia by sparks from a logger's chainsaw and spread to China. The fires burned for a month, and by the time the fires could be stopped, about a quarter of the ecoregion had been destroyed.

Wild Side

The Chinese population of about 50 Manchurian tigers, the largest of all the tiger subspecies, still survives in the ecoregion and shares the habitat with wolverines, northern lynx, moose, and Asiatic black bears. The Manchurian tiger may measure 12.3 feet (3.75 m) from its head to the tip of its tail and weigh more than 440 pounds (200 kg). Rare birds such as hazel grouse make their way through a thick understory of shrubs and plants. Dahurian larch is probably the most abundant conifer here.

Cause for Concern

The population density here is low and the land is not productive for agriculture, so converting it for this purpose is less of a problem than in many other areas. However, the area is logged extensively. Regulations to control hunting need to be enforced more efficiently.

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