The sacred birches of the Taiga

The taiga is the largest contiguous vegetation zone in the world. The birch plays a special role in this boreal coniferous forest. Its light-colored bark forms a perfect insulating layer. Symbiotic fungi protect its roots from attackers. But increasingly extreme summer heatwaves are threatening the fragile ecosystem of the boreal coniferous forest. Animal and plant species must adapt - or migrate further north to escape extinction.