TEMPERATE FORESTS
By Theresa Kish
Geography
 Can be found between 30 - 55 ° latitude
 Most lie between 40 degrees and 50 degrees latitude
 Originally covered
 In Asia, much of Japan, eastern China, Korea, and eastern
Siberia
 In western Europe, extended from southern Scandinavia to
northwestern Iberia and from the British Isles through
eastern Europe
Geography
 In North America, found from the Atlantic sea coast to the
Great Plains and reappear on the West Coast as temperate
coniferous forests that extend from northern California
through southeastern Alaska
 In the Southern Hemisphere, found in southern Chile, New
Zealand, and southern Australia
Climate
 May either be coniferous or deciduous
 Occur where temperatures are not extreme and where
annual precipitation averages anywhere from about
650mm to over 3,000mm
 Generally receive more winter precipitation than
temperate grasslands
 Deciduous trees usually dominate, where the growing
season is moist and at least 4 months
 Though snow fall may be heavy, winters are relatively mild
Climate
 Where winters are more severe or summers drier,
conifers are more abundant the deciduous trees
 Coniferous forests of the Pacific Coast of North America
receive most of their precipitation during fall, winter, and
spring
 Are subject to summer drought
 The few deciduous trees in these forests are largely
restricted to streamside environments, where water
remains abundant during the drought-prone growing season
Soils
 Usually fertile
 Most fertile soils develop under deciduous forests, where
they are generally neutral or slightly acidic and rich in
both organic matter and inorganic nutrients
 Rich soils may develop under coniferous forests but
coniferous forests but conifers are also able to grow on
poorer and more acidic soil
 Nutrient movement with between soil and vegetation
tends to be slower and more conservative in the
coniferous forest
Soils
 Nutrient movement with in deciduous forest is generally
more dynamic
Biology
 While the diversity of trees found here is lower than that
of tropical rain forests, temperate forest biomass can be
as great or greater
 Like the tropical rain forest, they are vertically stratified
 Layers of vegetation
 Lowest layer/herb layer
 Shrub layer
 Layer of shade-tolerant understory trees
 Finally the canopy formed by the largest trees
Biology
 Height of canopy varies from approximately 40m to over
100m
 The birds, mammals, and insects make use of all layers
of the forest from beneath the forest floor through the
canopy
 Some of the most important consumers are fungi and
bacteria, which, along with a diversity of microscopic
invertebrate animals, consume the large quantities of
wood stored on the floor of old-growth temperate forests
 Activities of these organisms recycle nutrients, a process
upon which the health of the entire forest depends
Biology
 The 2 largest trees in the world the sequoias of western
North America and the giant Eucalyptus trees of
southern Australia
 Temperate forest of North America, Europe, and Asia
still harbor ancient trees that are no less impressive
Human Influences
 The 1st human settlements in temperate forests were
concentrated along forest margin, usually along rivers
and streams
 Agriculture was practiced in these clearings
 Animals and plants products were harvested from the
surrounding forest
 this was the circumstance:
 In Europe and Asia several thousand years ago
 In North America 5 centuries ago
Threats
 Since the most of the ancient forests have been
destroyed by clear cutting
 Reasons for clear cutting
 Clear land for farming, building new cities, and expending
the size of existing cities
 For the trees lumber which was in high demand
 The lumber from trees was used to make building,
bridges, furniture, paper, heat building, and fuel
Threats
 Tokyo, Beijing, Moscow, Warsaw, Berlin, Paris, London,
New York, Washington D.C., Boston, Toronto, Chicago,
and Seattle are all built on lands that once supported a
temperate forest
 Few tracts of virgin deciduous forests which once
covered the eastern ½ of North America remain
 Disparate interests struggle over the remaining 1% to
2% of old growth forests left in western North America
Laws and regulations
 Currently there are several laws and regulations for clear
cutting
 Cutting Practices Laws
 Chapter 132: Section 40. Declaration of policy of
commonwealth.
 132: Section 41. State forestry committee; members;
forest cutting practices and guidelines.
 Chapter 132: Section 42. Notice of proposed cutting
of forest products; final work order; report to
director; appeal of decision of director.
 Chapter 132: Section 43. Failure to give notice.
 Chapter 132: Section 44. Exempted cuttings.
 Chapter 132: Section 46. License to harvest forest
products.
 SLASH LAW
 Chapter 48: Section 16A. Handling of slash.
 Chapter 48: Section 17. Disposition of slash cut near
highways.
 Chapter 48: Section 18. Disposition of slash cut by public
utility companies.