The Arctic treeline is the biogeographic boundary between the boreal forest to the south, dominated by coniferous trees, and tundra vegetation to the north, dominated by small shrubs, herbaceous plants, nonvascular plants, and bare ground. The treeline stretches across North America from northern Alaska to the coast of Labrador, and across Eurasia from Scandinavia to the far east of Siberia. The geographic location of the arctic treeline zone is controlled by global climate patterns but also can influence global climate. For this reason, scientists study past changes in the Arctic treeline to understand the natural variability of climate, detect long-term changes in climate, and predict how future climate changes might affect the treeline.