LAKE MELVILLE

This ecoregion surrounds Lake Melville in southeastern Labrador. It is a narrow extension of the boreal forest into the Taiga Shield ecozone. It is marked by humid, cool summers and cold winters. The mean annual temperature is approximately -2°C. The mean summer temperature is 8.5°C and the mean winter temperature is -13°C. The mean annual precipitation ranges 800-1000 mm. This ecoregion is classified as having a perhumid high-boreal ecoclimate. Its mixed forests are dominated by productive, closed stands of balsam fir, black spruce, white birch, and trembling aspen. This  ecoregion comprises all of Melville Plain and portions of river valleys entering the plain from Mecatina and Hamilton plateaus. It is basically an irregular lowland much dissected by river valleys. Elevations are generally close to sea level, to about 300 m asl, although a few hills reach about 500 m asl. Underlain by Archean granites, gneisses, and acidic intrusives, the undulating upland sites are characterized by shallow, drumlinized till and colluvium. Rock outcrops are common. Humo-Ferric Podzols are the dominant soils, and significant inclusions are Ferro-Humic Podzols, Dystric Brunisols on drier, coarse-textured outwash, Mesisols, and Organic Cryosols on fen-bog sequences. Permafrost occurs in isolated patches with low ice content, mainly in organic deposits in wetlands west of Lake Melville. This ecoregion includes some of the best timberland in Labrador. It provides habitat for caribou, moose, small mammals, birds, and waterfowl. Land uses include hunting, trapping, and recreation. The main community is Happy Valley - Goose Bay. The population of the ecoregion is approximately 10 400.

This ecoregion is part of the Boreal Shield ecozone.