They make up as much as 40 percent of the taiga and all of Russia's forests. It belongs to the pine family, but has soft needles. It sheds its needles in winter – which is why, in Russian, it's known as ‘лиственница’ (from ‘листва’ – foliage), because it behaves like a deciduous tree. It has an incredibly strong trunk, which is also widely used in construction. In fact, it can comfortably withstand extremely low temperatures!