Taiga is the Russian word for forest and is the largest biome in the world.

Taiga, also known as coniferous or boreal forest, is the largest terrestrial biome on earth. It extends in a broad band across North America, Europe, and Asia to the southern border of the arctic tundra. It is also found at cool high elevations in the more temperate latitudes, for example, in much of the mountainous western region of North America. Long, cold winters, and short, occasionally warm, wet summers are typical of this region. The soil is thin, nutrient poor,and acidic.

There is usually only one or a few species in a stand in a particular area. These include different species of spruce, pine, or fir, and often there is little undergrowth present. There may also occasionally be deciduous species present, such as oak, birch, willow, or alder, in a particularly wet or disturbed area.

Animal populations are mainly seed-eating squirrels and jays, herbivores such as leaf eating insects and larger browsing animals such as deer, moose, elk, snowshoe hare, and beavers. The typical predators for this area are grizzly bears, wolves, lynxes and wolverines. Many have thick coats of fur to insulate against the cold, and some hibernate.