Vegetation

Two main vegetation zones are found in the polar lands. In the south is the subarctic, formed by the northern subzones of the circumpolar boreal forest. To the north is the Arctic proper, where the vegetation is generally referred to as tundra, from the Finnish word for an open rolling plain; in North America the descriptive term Barren Grounds is frequently applied. The two zones are separated by the tree line, or timberline, defined in this case (the term also applies to the upper limit of arboreal growth at high elevations) as the absolute northern limit of treelike species, although even beyond it the same species may be found in low shrubs and dwarfed forms. The tree line is composed of different species. In Alaska and northwestern Canada white spruce is dominant, while in Labrador-Quebec it is black spruce and occasionally larch. By contrast, in northern Europe and Siberia the tree line is formed by larch, pine, and fir. The tree line is related to summer warmth, which may be correlated closely with tree growth. Alexander Supan found good coincidence between the tree line and the 50 °F (10 °C) July isotherm, a figure later modified by Otto Nordenskjöld to allow for spring temperatures.

In North America the tree line extends from the shores of the Bering Strait along the Brooks Range of Alaska to the Mackenzie River delta and then curves southeastward across the Northwest Territories to Churchill and James Bay. East of Hudson Bay it crosses northern Quebec to Ungava Bay and then continues into Labrador. In western Scandinavia the tree line is within a few miles of the sea; it curves east and crosses northern Siberia 50 to 150 miles south of the Arctic Ocean.

Arctic plants must contend with a harsh environment including low temperatures, continuous daylight in summer, infertile and often mobile soil and permanently frozen ground, and in many areas strong, dry winds and blowing snow. The species that survive are few and are frequently dwarfed. Many plants grow in compact cushions for maximum protection from the climate. The growing season is so short that annuals are rare and perennials reproduce asexually by shoots or runners. Even so, Arctic plants have a rapid seasonal life cycle. Spring growth often begins when snow is on the ground and there are still heavy frosts; the flower and seed stages follow in a period as short as six weeks. The sudden blooming of flowers is spectacular, particularly along the southern edges of the tundra, and for a short time in July the Barren Grounds are covered with a mass of flowers. The species vary but typical are those in the western American Arctic, which include the blue-spiked lupine, wild crocus, mountain avens, arctic poppy, and saxifrage. By late August the cycle is complete, and the plants are awaiting winter.

At first sight many parts of the Arctic are polar deserts without soil or vegetation. Closer inspection shows that some plant life is always present, and even on permanent ice there are often algae. The bare rock surfaces support thin brown, black, or gray crustaceous lichens that swell and become soft when wet; some of the larger black lichens are edible and are generally known as “rock tripe.” In the past these lichens have been used for food by starving explorers. Higher plants grow in rock crevices and succeed in forming tussocks on patches of soil. Close to the southern edge of the Arctic, dwarf shrubs are found in protected sites on these rock deserts.

Tundra areas have a continuous cover of vegetation, and many different tundra associations (plant communities) may be recognized. In the drier and better-drained parts, heath tundra, made up of a carpet of lichens and mosses with isolated flowering plants, is dominant. In some areas, notably west of Hudson Bay, a similar environment results in tundra grassland. When there is more moisture, sedges and grasses become important and form tussock or hillock tundra; willow and dwarf birch may be found between the individual mounds. This type of tundra reaches its greatest development on the northern Alaskan coastal plain.

In the warmest parts of the Arctic, woody dwarf shrubs, willow, birch, juniper, and, locally, alder are profuse. In the southern Arctic several of these shrubs modify the heath tundra, and low scrub woods may be extensive. On sheltered, south-facing slopes, tall thickets of willow, birch, and alder develop, and under optimum conditions these bushlike “trees” may be more than 10 feet high. This type of vegetation is common in all circumpolar lands close to the tree line and is conspicuous in the inner fjords of southwestern Greenland and in northern Iceland. The bushes may be used in the western Canadian Arctic by the Inuit for fuel or for mats, and in former times the wood was made into arrow shafts. It is unsuitable for bows, spears, or boat building; for these purposes the Inuit either had to travel to the tree line or search for driftwood, which was formerly widely distributed along the Arctic coasts.

The tundra vegetation is the source of food for the northern grazing mammals but contains few foods of direct value to man. Berries are found throughout the southern Arctic. Most widely used by the Indigenous population has been the black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), eaten either raw or mixed with animal oil. Europeans have found the cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus), bilberry (Vaccinium uliginosum), and mountain cranberry (V. vitisidaea minus) more palatable. Mushrooms are widely distributed and can be used for a welcome change of diet.

South of the tree line is the subarctic forest-tundra. Its bare windswept ridges are covered with tundra associations, while in the sheltered valleys there are woodlands, which may become continuous near large rivers and, if the rivers flow north, may penetrate many miles into the Barren Grounds. These areas, known as galeria (gallery) forests, are found along the Coppermine River of Canada and the north Siberian rivers. The woods contain the same coniferous species as forms the tree line, together with several broad-leaved species, notably birch.