Although the Northern Boreal Forest has much less precipitation than the Eastern Deciduous Forest, water seems to be everywhere in the form of streams, marshes, bogs, lakes, and just plain soggy ground. The picture on the left shows a meandering stream, a typical feature of the forest. Lakes are a common feature of the Northern Boreal Forest, but are most common in the southern half of the biome. Most of these lakes were carved by the glaciers and are relatively young and cold. A bog is a standing body of water typically without drainage and without a source of water except drainage from the surrounding forest.
Bogs often form in the holes created by melting blocks of ice left by receding glaciers.
Bog water is typically cold, very acidic, and low in oxygen. A form of moss called sphagnum moss, over time, develops a floating mat of vegetation. This mass of vegetation can support shrubs and small trees. It is not uncommon to break through the overlying sphagnum layer into the water below. A number of plant species are unique to bog areas because of the acid condition of the water and its other unique physical conditions.