In the highlands of New Brunswick everything is build over igneous rock, this makes the soil is very acidic and unstable for farming, however it is able to support forests. Moncton is one of the very few places that lies in the lowlands of New Brunswick, the lowlands are built over sedimentary bed rock, this is good for farming and it also supports many forests. The type of forests in New Brunswick are mixed forests consisting of coniferous trees (spruce, fir, and pine) and deciduous trees (birch, maple and ash.) In Moncton the precipitation is moderate as well as the climate making it a good place for farming. Moncton was very forested however farming took over most of the densely forested areas and they are now used for farming. The soil in New Brunswick is leached meaning there is a thin top soil layer usually a deep grey and brown colour, the subsoil is the organic layer containing lots of minerals and is lighter brown in colour.