Temperate rainforest
Temperate rain forests are coniferous or broadleaf forests that occur in the mid-latitudes in areas of high rainfall. Most of these occur in Oceanic-Moist Climates (Northwestern North America (Northwestern California to Southeastern Alaska), Northwest Europe (British Isles and Norway), Southern Chile, Southeastern Australia (Tasmania/Victoria), the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island) and some occur in Subtropical-Moist Climates (The Colchian temperate rain forests of the Eastern Black Sea region, New Zealand's North Island, South Africa's Garden Route, southern/western Japan, and the mountain temperate coniferous rain forests of Taiwan's Central Mountain Ranges).
Temperate rain forests are distinguished from other temperate forests by a few factors:
- Rainfall: high rainfall (minimum 2,000-3,000 mm/year, depending on latitude), usually from moisture-laden winds off the ocean.
- Proximity to the ocean: temperate rain forests depend on the proximity to the ocean to moderate seasonal variations in temperature, creating milder winters and cooler summers than continental-climate areas. Many temperate rain forests have summer fogs that keep the forests cool and moist in the hottest months.
- Coastal mountains: temperate rain forests occur where mountains ranges are close to the coast; coastal mountains increase rainfall on the ocean-facing slopes.
Temperate rain forests may be predominantly coniferous (with deciduous trees in understory), broadleaf evergreen, or mixed forests with deciduous species, and occur in Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests and Temperate coniferous forests ecoregions.
The temperate coniferous rain forests sustain the highest levels of biomass in any terrestrial ecosystem and are notable for trees of massive proportions, including Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis), Alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides) and Kauri (Agathis australis). These forests are quite rare, occurring in small areas of Western North America, southwestern South America and northern New Zealand.
Temperate forests cover a large part of the globe, but temperate rain forests only occur in seven regions around the world; the Pacific temperate rain forests of North America, the Valdivian and Magellanic temperate rain forests of southwestern South America, the Colchian rain forests of the eastern Black Sea region (Turkey and Georgia), the New Zealand temperate rain forests, Tasmanian temperate rain forests, South Africa's Knysna-Amatole coastal forests, and pockets of rain forest in northwest Europe and southwest Japan's Taiheiyo evergreen forests. Also, there are forests similar to those in Japan in Taiwan's Montane forests of the Central Mountain Ranges along Eastern Taiwan's Pacific Coast.
Temperate rain forest regions
- Pacific temperate rain forests of Northwestern North America (Canada, United States)
- The largest temperate rain forest zone on the planet, the Pacific temperate rain forests occur on west-facing coastal mountains along the Pacific coast of North America, from Kodiak Island in Alaska to northern California, and are part of the Nearctic ecozone. These rain forests occur in a number of ecoregions, which vary in their species composition, but are all predominantly conifers, sometimes with an understory of broadleaved trees and shrubs. Pacific temperate rain forests can be found in the Northern Pacific coastal forests, Queen Charlotte Islands, Vancouver Island, British Columbia mainland coastal forests, Central Pacific coastal forests, Central and Southern Cascades forests, Klamath-Siskiyou forests, and Northern California coastal forests ecoregions. The Northern California coastal forests are home to the Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), the world's tallest tree. Some of the best forests are found in Olympic National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, Tongass National Forest, Mount St. Helens National Monument, Redwood National Park and Point Reyes National Seashore. Less than 5% of the original biome remains.
- The temperate rain forests of South America are located on the Pacific coast of southern Chile, on the west-facing slopes of the southern Chilean coast range and the Andes Mountains down to the southern tip of South America, and are part of the Neotropic ecozone. The Valdivian rain forests are dominated by broadleaf southern beech (Nothofagus), but include many conifers as well. The Valdivian rain forests occur in the Valdivian temperate rain forests and Magellanic subpolar forests ecoregions.
- South Africa's Knysna-Amatole coastal rain forests (South Africa)
- The temperate rain forests of South Africa are part of the Knysna-Amatole forests that are located along South Africa's Garden Route between Cape Town and Durban on the south-facing slopes of South Africa's Drakensberg Mountains facing the Indian Ocean. There are several coniferous podocarps that grow here. This forest receives a lot of moisture as fog from the Indian Ocean, and resembles not only other temperate rain forests worldwide, but also the montane evergreen Afromontane forests that occur at higher elevations in southern and eastern Africa. A fine example of this forest is in South Africa's Tsitsikamma National Park.
- New Zealand temperate rain forests (New Zealand)
- The temperate rain forests of New Zealand occur on the western shore of New Zealand's South Island and on New Zealand's North Island. The forests are made up of coniferous podocarps and broadleaf evergreen trees; the podocarps are dominant at lower elevations, while southern beech (Nothofagus) becomes dominant on higher slopes and in the cooler southernmost rain forests. Ecoregions include the Fiordland temperate forests and Westland temperate forests.
- Australian temperate rain forests (Australia)
- Tasmania's west coast is home to the Tasmanian temperate rain forests ecoregion. They are mixed forests, with broadleaf southern beech (Nothofagus) and conifers, including Huon Pine (Lagarostrobos franklinii), and King Billy Pine (Athrotaxis selaginoides). Temperate rainforests also occur in Victoria's Otway Ranges, the Strzelecki Ranges, Dandenong Ranges, East Gippsland and south-east New South Wales, with the northern most extent of Cool temperate rainforest occuring on the NSW/QLD border in the World Heritage listed Border Ranges National Park and Lamington National Park.
- The Colchian rain forests are found around the southeast corner of the Black Sea, and are part of the Euxine-Colchic deciduous forests ecoregion, together with the drier Euxine forests further west. The Colchian rain forests are mixed, with deciduous alder, hornbeam, Oriental Beech (Fagus orientalis), and chestnut together with evergreen Nordmann Fir (Abies nordmanniana, the tallest tree in Europe at 78m), Caucasian Spruce (Picea orientalis) and Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris).
- Taiheiyo (Pacific) evergreen rain forests (Japan)
- Southwestern Japan's Taiheyo Evergreen Forests region covers much of Shikoku and Kyushu Islands, and the Southern/Pacific Ocean-facing side of Honshu ("Taiheiyo" is the Pacific Ocean, in Japanese), with some of the best examples of forest found in Kirishima-Yaku National Park on the Island of Yakushima off of Kyushu. Other areas include Mount Kirishima near Kagoshima in southern Kyushu. On Southern Honshu, there is a splendid forest with the beautiful Nachi Falls located in Yoshino-Kumano National Park. This particular area of Honshu has been described as one of the rainiest spots in Japan.
- Taiwan's mountain coniferous rain forests of Taiwan's Central Mountain Ranges (Taiwan)
- Eastern Taiwan, part of the Taiwan subtropical evergreen forest region covering the higher elevations. Although most of the lower elevations are subtropical broadleaf evergreen, higher elevations give way to some fine temperate forests with large stands of old growth Taiwan cypress, camphor, Japanese maple, yew, hemlock, and Taiwan-Douglas-fir. Some fine examples of forests are found in Yushan (Jade Mountain) National Park and Alishan.
- Northwest Europe temperate rain forests
- Scotland, Ireland, Norway, Iceland; mostly gone. However, parts of the Scandinavian coastal conifer forests with birch and Norway spruce (picea abies) in coastal areas of Central Norway are still left.