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. 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. 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 .

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.

Level IV Ecoregions

Northeastern Highlands Level IV

58aa. Acid Sensitive Adirondacks

The Acid Sensitive Adirondacks derive their name from the underlying bedrock which has a low acid-neutralizing capacity and is one of the regions of the Northeastern Highlands that has been most affected by acid rain. The Acid Sensitive Adirondacks comprises the largest level IV region of the Adirondack Mountain range. Acid rain has acidified the regions lakes to the point where they are uninhabitable for fish; terrestrial effects of acid rain have resulted in leaching of calcium and release of aluminum which has resulted in tree mortality. Tree cover in the region is dominated by conifers including red, white, and black Spruce, as well as balsam Fir, Red Maple, yellow Birch, and Black Cherry.