Distribution of Coniferous Forests
Coniferous forests exist in many climates around the world. The Podocarpaceae family is distributed in tropical and subtropical climates in South America and Southeast Asia. Small areas of southern Chile and western Argentina have coniferous Araucaria species living with evergreen broadleaf species. Mexico and Central America have pine forests in high elevation mountain ranges. Western North America and Japan support one million square kilometers of coastal coniferous rain forests. With nearly sixteen million square kilometers, the northern latitude boreal forests contain the vast majority of coniferous forest area. The Eurasian boreal forest begins in Scandinavia and extends east in a widening band all the way to the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia. The forest reaches its northernmost boundary at 73°30′ N in Siberia but is usually found no farther north than 68°N. In North America, the eastern boreal forest ranges from 45°N to 55°N; the western forest extends from 55°N to 69°N. Forested areas called subalpine forests cover about three million square kilometers in the U.S. Rocky Mountains, mid-elevation areas in the Himalayas, and other temperate mountain ranges.