Temperate forest

Temperate forests are very variable, and it is in them where the largest number of deciduous trees on the planet can be found. You can also find mixed forests with coniferous trees, deciduous broad-leaved and broad-leaved green as well. It is a forest that contains a temperate forest biome, which are considered to be the most altered on the planet. Temperate deciduous forests are forests with moderate climates that can be found between the tropics and polar regions in the northern and southern hemispheres. They are also called four-season forests, because they have four different seasons.

Related topics

Rainforest, taiga, tundra, biome, terrestrial ecosystem

What is the temperate forest?

They are the forests that are located in temperate climates mainly in the entire northern hemisphere, with a lesser diversity of tropical forests, have less diversity of trees caused by the degradation and exploitation of the same.

Temperate forest characteristics

Some of the main features are the following:

• It has a low level of diversity of tree
• Humans have transformed temperate forests considerably as they have inhabited them for thousands of years.
• They are invaded by large buildings, streets, areas for agriculture and infrastructure.
• There has been in them a big animal extinction due to the factors that occur in it.
• They fulfill a landscaping, restoration and soil protection function.
• It is considered as the ecological succession of the tundra.
• They are found in smaller quantities within North America.

Temperate forest fauna

In the temperate forest, practically all the types of animals that exist can live in it, due to the moderate climate and the fertile soils that allow many types of plants to grow, provide shade for trees and give a lot of water. In Australia, animals such as koalas, possums and other marsupials inhabit the forest. In Europe, squirrels, badgers and birds thrive in forests. In the United States, bears, lynxes, deer and rabbits are common inhabitants. Pandas are found in China’s temperate forests. Most animals live in the forest floor because the canopy of trees protects them from sun, wind, and rain.

Temperate forest flora

The soil found in temperate forests is very fertile, and these forests are populated with different types of trees: deciduous trees such as maple, oak and elm, coniferous trees such as pine, fir and cedar and broad-leaf trees, which normally populate regions such as Australia, New Zealand and the Mediterranean. Examples of broadleaf trees include olive, holly, tea and eucalyptus.

Climate

The climate of the temperate forest is characterized by heavy rainfall and the way it manifests itself throughout the year, which is why the temperate forest never has dry soils.

Temperature

Although it has 4 well-defined seasons due to thermal changes, with hot summers and cold winters, temperatures generally range from -30º C in the latitudes closest to the poles, where there is snow almost all year round to 30 degrees in latitudes further south. The annual average temperature is around 10º C.

Rainfall

Rainfall varies from about 50 cm per year in colder regions to more than 200 cm per year.

Location

The temperate forests can be found around the European continent, the eastern region of Asia mainly in the countries of China and Japan and in North America. In some temperate regions of South America it is also common to find them.

Economic activity

Due to its geographical position these forests are an excellent place to practice agriculture. The trees are used to obtain wood, for which the forest has also been exploited. Commercial plantations and housing are two of the activities that can also be found in this type of forest.

Importance of the temperate forest

They are important forests for the earth because in them we find different regions with changing climates between summer and winter. They are one of the best places for people to live because its climate is quite tolerable. For the economy and growth of countries are essential.

Examples

• Temperate forest in Mexico: distributed north and south of Baja California, in the northern highlands of Oaxaca and southern Chiapas. Their temperatures are average. Their ecosystems are sub-humid and with enough annual precipitations. They have a great diversity of flora and fauna.
• Patagonia temperate forest: it is located to the south of Chile and to the southwest of Argentina. Its climate is humid and with thermal contrasts. It has primary forests that keep thousands of species of flora and fauna.
• Southern Andes Temperate Forest: It is located in Chile and is a biosphere It possesses the most important forest remnants that have not been invaded by man on earth. It includes different national parks with large numbers of animals and plants.