This ecoregion covers the west coast of Newfoundland, south of the Northern Peninsula and west of the barrens of the southern Long Range Mountains and the Buchans Plateau. It is marked by cool summers and snowy, cold winters. The mean annual temperature is approximately 4°C. The mean summer temperature is 12°C and the mean winter temperature is -3.5°C. The mean annual precipitation ranges 1000-1200 mm. The ecoregion is dominated by closed stands of balsam fir. Black spruce, tamarack, and evergreen shrubs occur in poorly drained areas. Small thickets of deciduous trees occur on seepage sites and alluvial plains. The rugged, steeply sloping highlands are formed of crystalline Palaeozoic and Precambrian rocks and are part of the old Appalachian peneplain region. Elevations range from sea level to about 814 m asl in the Lewis Hills, the highest point in Newfoundland, north of Stephenville. A lowland extends from St. George's Bay to Grand Lake. Rolling to hummocky, sandy to loamy morainal deposits are associated with Humo-Ferric Podzolic soils, Brunisols, and Gleysols. The upper surface of Long Range Mountains provides the ecoregion with protection from northeasterly winds, resulting in the most favourable growing season on the island. Moose, black bear, caribou, marten, red fox, and lynx are typical wildlife. Activities related to forestry, wood processing, farming, and fishing are the common uses of land. The major communities include Stephenville and Corner Brook. The population of the ecoregion is approximately 69 400.
This ecoregion is part of the Boreal Shield ecozone.