Southern Appalachian spruce–fir forest

Description

The southern Appalachian spruce–fir forest is an ecoregion of the temperate coniferous forest biome, a type of montane coniferous forest that grows in the highest elevations in the southern Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States. The ecoregion is the highest and coldest forest type in the southern Appalachian range, thriving in elevations above 5,500 feet (1,700 m) where the climate is too harsh to support the broad-leaved hardwood forest that dominates the region's lower elevations. A relict of the last Ice Age, this forest type covers just over 100 square miles (260 km2) and is considered to be among the most endangered ecosystems in the United States.