80% of tree cover of the Aurora forest comprise only Bamboo firs (Fastiabies sp.), very fast-growing conifers that can rapidly outcompete other tree species under certain conditions. Undergrowth is practically absent, excluding a few shade-tolerant plants, but it's rich in deadwood, way more abundant than elsewhere, due to the relatively fast lifecycle of bamboo firs. This is the paradise for the Bambo fir beetle (Duroos fastiabiesensis), a bark beetle of the subfamily Scolytinae. They have enormous biomass here, the largest of any animal in the Aurora forest.  During summer, these insects become the dominant diet of several species of birds and geotters that would disappear without their presence. They are keystone species of their ecosystem, making this dark forest more liveable for others.

Aurora forest is also home to a peculiar culture of sowering ravens' descendants that, due to the sterile undergrowth, has adapted to cultivate their plants in the highest part of the canopy, where sunlight is strong. They create large holes on branches and fill them with soil, where their fruity plants will grow. These corvids deal with a "pest", that has evolved to infest their cultivated food: the berryfly (Fructophila suzuki). Its ecology is similar to the holocenic fruit fly, depositing eggs inside fruits, thanks to a sting-like oviduct; when larvae hatch, they start to consume the berry, causing rot. Unlike humans, sowering ravens benefit from its presence: if the berry is eaten before rotting, it provides easy proteins. They are not picky birds.
With the expansion of sowering ravens, berryflies were able to expand too; they would probably miss from Aurora forest if it weren't for these highly specialized corvids.

Cold and well-oxygenated freshwaters are the only areas where canelos shrubs and other species of plants aside from Bamboo firs are found in the Aurora forest. These very linear sub-habitats are the most species-rich areas of the entire woodland, hosting several endemic plant species. Two endemic insects are also present: the duogonfly and the titan caddis.

The duogonfly (Criodonatis pavus) is a dragonfly species with a very marked sexual dimorphism: males are relatively small, while females are probably one of the largest species of dragonfly of the Cenozoic. While their larvae live and hunt other arthropods underwater, adults are woodland dwellers. Due to their size difference, the two sex hunt different prey: males feed mostly on dipters, while females eat mostly large beetles and sometimes even unchecked birds' hatchlings. Males have an enlarged terminal abdomen, making it compatible in size to the female one; without this adaptation, reproduction would be impossible for this species. Adults have a short lifespan, living for few months in the warmest period of the year.

The titan caddis (Hydroptera quinquiennalis) is another giant of Aurora streams and surely the largest caddisfly ever existed. Larvae are alghivorous and they live up to 5 years in the water before becoming adults. Like all caddisfly species, the titan caddis creates a case, to protect its body from predators. Case's material varies from small rocks and sand to wood and leaves, depending on caddis size and habitat.
Titan caddisflies are a very important part of icekissers' diet, that surgically extract larvae from their case using their rough tongues.