Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests

This ecoregion represents the belt of conifer forest between 3,000 and 4,000 m, from the Kali Gandaki River in central Nepal through Bhutan and into the Arunachal Pradesh in India. It forms a transition zone between the forested Himalayan ecoregions and the treeless alpine meadows and boulder-strewn screes above. The annual rainfall can be as much as 4,500 mm in the east and 3,600 in the west (mainly from southwest monsoon), with summer temperatures averaging about 20-25°C and winter temperatures falling below freezing with snow. The forests are dominated by fir, larch, hemlock, juniper, and yew, besides rhododendrons, and shows considerable species turnover from east to west. Blue pine dominates the drier inner valleys.

Source: Modified from One Earth CC BY-NC