What Are the Three Major Types of Land in Minnesota?

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service have created a method for classifying land in Minnesota. The Ecological Classification System for ecological mapping is used to identify various environmental factors. According to Sharon Nelson, a representative of the Minnesota Department of Resources, there have been three major types of land in the state. These are known as "biomes." A fourth biome has been added in the past few years.

Prarie Parkland Province

• The Prairie Parkland Province encompasses western Minnesota, covering approximately 16 million acres. It is characterized by a tall grass prairie. Average annual temperatures vary from 36 degrees Fahrenheit in the north to 48 degrees Fahrenheit in the south. Low winter precipitation, little snow cover and westerly winds create fire hazards in the spring.

Eastern Broadleaf Forest

• The Eastern Broadleaf Forest covers nearly 12 million acres in the central and southeastern region of Minnesota. It functions as a transition between semi-arid areas that were prairie and the semi-humid mixed conifer forests to the northeast. The western boundary of the Eastern Broadleaf Forest is characerized by an abrupt transition from forest and woodland to open grassland. Its northeastern boundary offers a more gradual transition between the eastern deciduous forests and the mixed conifer forests of northern Minnesota.

Laurentian Mixed Forest

• The Laurentian Mixed Forest comprises about 23 million acres in the northeastern region of Minnesota. The region is characterized by conifer forests, mixed hardwood and conifer trees and conifer bogs and swamps. Its landmass includes rugged terrain punctuated with lakes, glacial deposits over bedrock, plains with deep glacial drifts and large, flat peat lands. Vegetation ranges from dry habitats in the southwest region to cooler and moist habitats in the northeast.

Tall Grass Aspen Parkland

• Tall Grass Aspen Parklands, made up of only about 3 million acres in northwestern Minnesota, was recently added as a fourth major land type in the state. This region acts as a transition between semi-arid landscapes and semi-humid mixed conifer-deciduous forests. This region has frequent spring fires due in part to low precipitation and winds from the Great Plains. The land surface has features which were shaped by glacial ice.