This ocean-influenced ecoregion is found along the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Quebec and in southeasternmost Labrador. It is marked by cool, rainy summers and cold winters. The mean annual temperature is approximately 1°C. The mean summer temperature is 11.5°C and the mean winter temperature is -9°C. The mean annual precipitation ranges 800-1100 mm. Precipitation over 1000 mm occurs along the Gulf of St. Lawrence coastline. The coastline is also exposed to constant winds. This ecoregion is classified as having an oceanic to perhumid high boreal ecoclimate. Closed, dense stands of black and white spruce, and balsam fir are dominant on sloping, protected, moist sites along rivers and drainageways. Bedrock exposures are usually covered with lichens, and exposed hilltops are characterized by matted patches of dwarf, krummholz forms of black spruce, giving way to white spruce near the coastal area. Sphagnum mosses, sedges, cottongrass, and other wetland species occupy poorly drained, sloping bogs that occur along lower valley slopes and scattered depressions. The surface of the region rises rapidly from sea level along the coast to inland elevations of about 500 m asl. Underlain by massive Archean granites, gneisses, and acidic intrusives, the ecoregion's surface form is rough and undulating with deeply dissected margins. Surface deposits are thin, discontinuous, bouldery, sandy morainal veneers. Lower valley slopes and floors contain deeper deposits of morainal material, alluvium, and fluvioglacial and shallow peat deposits. Humo-Ferric Podzols are the dominant soils, and significant inclusions are Ferro-Humic Podzols, Dystric Brunisols, Mesisols, and Organic Cryosols. Permafrost occurs in isolated patches, mainly in organic deposits in wetlands in the northern section of the ecoregion. The ecoregion provides habitat for moose, seal, small mammals, and seabirds. Land use includes hunting, trapping, and outdoor recreation. The main communities include Havre-Saint-Pierre, Saint-Augustin, and Natashquan. The population of the ecoregion is approximately 14 900.
This ecoregion is part of the Boreal Shield ecozone.