This ecoregion lies northeast of Lake Winnipeg and extends east into northwestern Ontario. It is marked by cool summers and very cold winters. The mean annual temperature is approximately -4°C. The mean summer temperature is 11.5°C and the mean winter temperature is -20°C. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 400 mm in the northwest to 600 mm in the southeast. This ecoregion is classified as having a subhumid high boreal ecoclimate. Black spruce is the climatic climax tree species, but stands consist predominantly of medium to tall, closed stands of black spruce and jack pine with some paper birch. The shrub layer is dominated by ericaceous shrubs, willow, and alder. The ground cover consists of mosses and lichens, low ericaceous shrubs, and some herbs. Depending on drainage, surficial material, and local climate, trembling aspen, white birch, white spruce and to a lesser extent balsam fir, occupy significant areas, especially in the southern section. Bedrock exposures have fewer trees and are covered with lichens. Closed to open stands of stunted black spruce with ericaceous shrubs and a ground cover of sphagnum moss dominate poorly drained peat-filled depressions. Permafrost is found throughout the ecoregion, but is only widespread in organic deposits. Archean granites and gneisses form locally steeply-sloping uplands. Upland surfaces are covered with discontinuous deposits of ridged to hummocky till in the southern section and with calcareous, loamy till in the northern section. Thin clayey lacustrine deposits cover a large part of the till deposits, especially in low-lying areas. These lacustrine deposits are, in turn, often overlain by shallow to deep peat materials. Fluvioglacial moraines and eskers are locally prominent. Gray Luvisols are associated with upland clayey lacustrine and, to some extent, loamy till deposits. However, Eutric Brunisols are dominant on calcareous loamy till and calcareous sandy deposits, whereas Dystric Brunisols are associated with noncalcareous fluvioglacial materials. The dominant peatland soils are Mesisols and Organic Cryosols. Many small, rock-bound lakes and medium to large lakes, linked by the primary drainageways of the Nelson, Stupart, Hayes, and Gods rivers are a prominent feature of this ecoregion. Wildlife in the ecoregion includes wolf, lynx, otter, marten, beaver, moose, black bear, woodland caribou, snowshoe hare, red squirrel, short-tailed weasel, red-backed vole, and least chipmunk. Bird species found in the region include spruce grouse which is an important upland game bird, sharp-tailed grouse, willow ptarmigan, common nighthawk, raven, gray jay, bald eagle, hawk owl, and numerous passerine and waterfowl species. Wildlife trapping and hunting, water-oriented recreation and tourism are the dominant uses of the land. Some pulpwood and local sawlog forestry occur in the southern section. The major communities include Thompson, Norway House, Sandy Lake, Gillam, and Gods Lake Narrow. The population of the ecoregion is approximately 33 800.
This ecoregion is part of the Boreal Shield ecozone.