Northern Anatolian conifer and deciduous forests
The Northern Anatolian conifer and deciduous forests is a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion located in northern Anatolia, Turkey.
Geography
The ecoregion covers an area of. It covers portions of the Pontic Mountains, which extend east and west across Northern Anatolia parallel to the southern coast of the Black Sea. The ecoregion lies between humid Euxine-Colchic deciduous forests, which cover the northern slope of the mountains and the Black Sea coast, and the drier forests, woodlands, and steppes of the Anatolian interior. The ecoregion extends to the Sündiken Mountains in the southwest, and Mount Türkmen or Türkmenbaba near Kütahya is a southwestern outlier of the ecoregion. The peaks are seldom higher than 2000 meters in the western and central mountains, and over 3000 meters in the Kaçkar Mountains in the northeast.Climate
The climate is transitional between the humid and moderate Black Sea coast, and the drier and more continental Anatolian interior. Average annual rainfall varies from 500 to 1,000 mm. In the western and central portions of the ecoregion, winter is the rainiest season, and in the east spring is the rainiest season.Flora
The ecoregion's forests are mostly conifers, with deciduous broadleaf trees.In the western portion of the northern ranges, Turkish fir is predominant, mixed with oriental beech, Scots pine, or both. Oriental spruce is predominant in the northeast, along with Caucasian fir.
The southern ranges have a drier and more continental climate, and pines are the dominant trees. Anatolian black pine is more common in the west, and Scots pine in the east. Deciduous broadleaf trees are part of the southern forest, including species of oak, maple, and Sorbus.
Open scrublands and small forest patches of juniper and birch occur at high altitudes.