There are three main types of forest biomes: the rainforest, the temperate forest, and the Taiga. Rainforests are located in the tropics, Taiga forests are located far north and Temperate rainforests are located in between.
Key Characteristics: The temperature in temperate forests is generally quite mild, or temperate. Temperature is usually between -5 and 35 degrees, with extreme heat or cold rare.
Temperate forests also have four distinct seasons, which all run for approximately 3 month each. With only 3 months of winter a year, this ensures that trees have a large growing season, which is responsible for the reason that temperate forests boast the tallest and largest trees in the world.
Temperate forests also have a high level of rain, with levels between 150 and 500cm annually. This is a key reason of the high levels of biodiversity and life found in temperate forests.
The high levels of biodiversity and life are also responsible for the extremely fertile soil. This makes the land ideal for intensive plant growth and attractive for farmers, who clear the land to access the highly productive soil. This however causes extensive and irreversible damage to the forest, and must be managed carefully.
Layers: The structure of a temperate forest can be broken up into four layers: the emergent, the canopy, the understory and the undergrowth. The emergent layer is comprised of any trees who have managed to grow taller than the canopy. The canopy is usually made up of a single tree species, however two or three tree species dominating the canopy is not uncommon. The canopy shades the rest of the forest from the sun, insulating heat and preventing water evaporating, creating an ecosystem within an ecosystem. In Australia, especially Victoria and Tasmania, the dominant canopy species is the Mountain Ash or other eucalyptus trees. The understory is made of smaller or developing trees, ferns and shrubs. The undergrowth is made of grasses, bushes, mosses and other smaller ground dwelling species.
Possums are just one of many animals to use the abundance of food and nesting locations to thrive in temperate forests.
Location: Located between the equator ant the poles, there are eight major "groups" of temperate forest. These include: • Western North America • Eastern North America • South America • Continental Europe and North Africa • Asia • Australia • Southern Africa • New Zealand
Types of Temperate Forests: There are three main sub-categories:
Coniferous - These forests are made up mostly of conifer trees such as cypress, cedar, redwood, fir and pine trees. These trees grow needles instead of leaves, produce a soft-wood and have cones instead of flowers. These are found in Europe, North America and Asia.
Broad-leafed - These forests are made up of broad-leafed trees such as oak, maple, elm and eucalyptus. In Australia, eucalyptus forests are the only native type of temperate forests, and boast unique undergrowth and fauna.
Mixed coniferous and broad-leafed - These forests have a mix of conifers and broad-leafed trees.
Fauna: The high levels of biodiversity in temperate forests are also reflected in the wide range of animal life. From micro-organisms to the large mammals, temperate forests are ideal for a variety of animal life. The rich soil attracts insects that in turn attract birds and foragers. The wide range of plant life feed the herbivores. Birds are attracted to the abundance of nesting locations. Small carnivores and birds of prey, can hunt the smaller mammals. This biome and the ecosystems attached, all have intricate food webs, and are co-dependent on each other to survive. It is invaluable that we protect the forest and delicate food webs to ensure the survival of all species and to preserve this impressive biome.
Threats Temperate Forests face a variety of ever growing threats. From logging, global warming, pollution, pests and disease, these mighty forests are under threat. However, the strong ecosystem is extremely resilient, which is more than evident in the forests recovery from bushfire. With responsible management, we can truly appreciate these magnificent forests well into the future.