Northeastern Highlands (ecoregion)
| Northeastern Highlands Ecoregion | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Northeastern Highlands region denoted in forest green | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Nearctic |
| Biome | temperate broadleaf forest |
| Geography | |
| Area | 122,406.62 km2 (47,261.46 sq mi) |
| Country | United States |
| Elevation | 365 meters |
| Coordinates | 42°N, -73°W |
| Climate type | Warm summer humid continental |
| Soil types | Spodosols |
The Northeastern Highlands ecoregion is a Level III ecoregion designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The ecoregion extends from the northern tip of Maine and runs south along the Appalachian Mountain Range into eastern Pennsylvania. Discontiguous sections are located among New York's Adirondack Mountains and the Catskill Range. The largest portion of the Northeastern Highlands ecoregion encompasses several sub mountain ranges including the Berkshires, Green Mountains, Taconic, and White Mountains.
The mountainous region is underlain by metamorphic rock and glacial till. The ecoregion is flanked by several others including the: Acadian Plains and Hills, Eastern Great Lakes Lowlands, Northeastern Coastal Zone, Northern Allegheny Plateau, Ridge and Valley, and Northern Piedmont ecoregions[1]. The elevation generally ranges from 182 meters (600 ft) to 1916.6 meters (6288.2 ft) at the top of Mt. Washington, the regions most elevated and most prominent point. The region is characterized by hot humid summers and cold snowy winters. The nutrient poor Spodosols and other cryic soil types of the region support boreal (north) and broadleaf (south) forests that cover the majority of the region. Ecotourism, forestry, and agriculture are the predominant land uses of the sparsely populated region[2]. Though much of the region was once cleared to make farmland, much of it has reverted into natural forested areas; to a lesser extent, dairy and crops are still grown in lowland valleys and beef cattle on upland pastures. The ecoregion has been subdivided into thirty-three Level IV ecoregions [2].
Animals of the area include black bears, White Tailed deer, moose, bobcats, cougars, coyotes, skunks, raccoons, chipmunks, squirrels, opossum, fisher cats, eastern turkey, bobwhite quail, ducks, and hawks[3].
Level IV Ecoregions
58a. Taconic Mountains
58aa. Acid Sensitive Adirondacks
58ab. Northern and Western Adirondack Foothills
58
References
- ^ "Level III Ecoregions of the Continental United States" (PDF). National Health and Environmental Effects Research LaboratoryU.S. Environmental Protection Agency. June 17, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Griffith, G.E., Omernik, J.M., Bryce, S.A., Royte, J., Hoar, W.D., Homer, J.W., Keirstead, D., Metzler, K.J., and Hellyer, G., 2009, Ecoregions of New England (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs): Reston, Virginia, U.S. Geological Survey (map scale 1:1,325,000).
- ^ "Northeastern Highland Biophysical Region Check List". iNaturalist.ca. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
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