Temperate Forests

By: Isiah A. Curry

Location

Geography Found between 30 degrees and 55 degrees latitude Majority is found between 40 degrees and 50

degrees latitude

Climate Four Seasons

Warm Summer, Cold and silent Winter, Noisy Spring, Colorful Fall

Summer mean temperature is 21°C

Yearly mean temperature is 10°C

Rainfall ranges from 650mm to over 3,000mm per year

Plants and trees shed their leaves in winter and grow them back in spring

Climate: Deciduous Temperate Forests

Dominate majority temperate forests

Moist growing season, up to 4 months long

Winters last 3 to 4 months

Although snow fall may be heavy, winters are relatively mild

Climate: Coniferous Temperate Forests

Summers are dry and unpleasant, subject to summer droughts

Winters are intense

Conifers are more abundant than deciduous trees

Any deciduous trees present are largely restricted to streamside environments

Coniferous forests of the Pacific Coast of North America receive most of their precipitation during fall, winter, and spring

Biology Can be as great or greater than tropical forests

Vertically stratified : Herb layer, Shrubs, Understory and Canopy ranging from 40m to 100m

Some of the highly important consumers are fungi, bacteria and a diversity of microscopic invertebrates

Small birds make nests in the shrubs, because the tall trees protect them from the intense weather.

Animals have to withstand various weather conditions, like wet, dry, and warm, climate. They also have to be used to rain and snow.

Animals in the Temperate Forest depend upon one another in a complex food chain.

Human Influence Forests are cut and burned

for buildings, expansion, agriculture and lumber

1-2% of old-growth forests remain in North America

Animals are killed in the process and hunted for fur, feathers, and other human desires

Thank You