| While conifers are dominant, it is possible to find certain broad-leaved trees, such as bigleaf maple. In the damp habitat of the temperate rainforest, mosses and ferns thrive, giving the forest a lush appearance more commonly thought of in association with tropical forests. Birds are abundant, but may be hard to see if they remain in the forest canopy, since the trees can reach over 200 feet tall. The holes created by pileated woodpeckers are a common sight on the trunks of trees. |
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The giant coniferous trees of the temperate
rainforest are supported by high levels of precipitation. Trees often grow to six or eight feet in diameter, and the lowest branches are fifty
feet off the ground. These forests are just remnants of the vast coniferous forests that covered a much greater area millions of years ago.
Temperate rainforests, for all their lush appearance, lack the diversity of plant and animal species that is found in a tropical rainforest. In these temperate areas, there are usually only two or three species of conifers that are especially abundant, with a handful of others scattered throughout, and a few broad-leaved species in more open, sunny areas. Three Western redcedars rise high above a human observer. Photo by Maya Walters. |
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temperate rain forest -- page 2 of 3
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related topics
[broadleaf forests] [tropical forests] [woodpeckers] [forests through time] [coniferous forests] [biodiversity]
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