World Temperate
Forests
Forests
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| Temperate Forests |
Temperate forests consist of a complex
mix of needle leaf (left) and broad leaf
trees (right) including the largest species,
such as hemlock and Giant Redwood.
There are many types of temperate forest and they occur in both the northern and southern hemispheres. The word ‘temperate’ means moderate and this describes the weather conditions that are found in the parts of the world where these forests grow with warm summers, mild winters and high rainfall, spread evenly throughout the year. These conditions are ideal for both conifers and broadleaved trees.
Temperate rain forest grows along the north-west coast of North America. Although it is dominated by conifer tree species, such as Sitka spruce and Douglas fir, it is quite unlike the conifer forests of the boreal region. North America’s temperate rein forests are home to some of the oldest and largest trees on earth. Douglas fir trees, for example, areas, forests are generally made up of a mixture of broadleaved trees and conifers. In Britain, for example, forests and woodlands range from those dominated by oak and beech in the lowlands, to birch and pine forests in the uplands.
