Boreal is usually applied to ecosystems localized to subarctic (Northern hemisphere) and subantarctic (Southern hemisphere) zones, although Austral is also used for the latter. A "boreal forest", also known as the taiga, is the set of forest ecosystems that can survive in northern, specifically subarctic, regions. The ecosystems that lie immediately to the south (in the Northern hemisphere) or to the north (in the Southern hemisphere) of boreal zones are often called hemiboreal.
