With its endless expanse of coniferous forests, mires and lakes, the Boreal Region forms part of a distinct band of vegetation which circles the entire northern hemisphere. Habitat types blend seamlessly into one another, creating a characteristic mosaic landscape of forests and wetlands. Along the coast, bedrock archipelagos intermingle with low-lying brackish fens and meadows, providing ideal nesting grounds for hundreds of thousands of migratory birds.

Forests cover around 60% of the region and dominate the landscape. The majority is used commercially and is, consequently, of reduced conservation value compared to the original natural old-growth forests, which now account for less than 5–10% of the resource. The dominant forest type, known as western taiga, contains a mixture of Norway spruce Picea abies and Scots pine Pinus sylvestris. Its structure is relatively simple with a sparse field layer of mosses, lichens and ericaceous shrubs on shallow soils. Where the soil is more fertile, the understory becomes carpeted in a rich assembly of herbaceous shrubs and bushes.

The coastline and islands around the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Bothnia are also very characteristic of a boreal environment. Having been depressed under the massive weight of ice, the coastline is once again emerging from the sea. As the water recedes, low-lying habitats, ideal for breeding waders and saline tolerant plants, develop.