Forest

Rainforest in Tasmania's Hellyer Gorge is considered a Gondwanan relic.

Mixed deciduous forest in Stara Planina, Bulgaria. A forest is an area wit a ig density of trees. T ere are many definitions of a forest, !ased on t e "arious criteria.#$% T ese &lant communities &resently co"er a&&roximately '.() of t e *art 's surface +or ,-) of total land area. in many different regions and function as a!itats for organisms, ydrologic flow modulators, and soil conser"ers, constituting one of t e most im&ortant as&ects of t e *art 's !ios& ere. Alt oug a forest is classified &rimarily !y trees a forest #edit% *tymology T e word /forest/ was !orrowed !y Middle *nglis from 0ld 1renc and Medie"al 2atin forestis, literally meaning /outside/. 3ses of t e word /forest/ in *nglis to denote any unin a!ited area of non4enclosure are now considered arc aic.#,% T e word was introduced !y t e 5orman rulers of *ngland as a legal term +a&&earing in 2atin texts li6e t e Magna 7arta. denoting an unculti"ated area legally set aside for unting !y feudal no!ility +see Royal 1orest.. #,%#(% T ese unting forests were not necessarily wooded muc , if at all. Howe"er, as unting forests did often include considera!le areas of woodland, t e word /forest/ e"entually came to mean wooded land more generally.#citation needed% By t e start of t e fourteent century t e word a&&eared in *nglis texts, indicating all t ree senses8 t e most common one, t e legal term and t e arc aic usage.#,%

A conifer forest in t e Swiss Al&s +5ational Par6..

Ama9on Rainforest in Bra9il. 1orests can !e found in all regions ca&a!le of sustaining tree growt , at altitudes u& to t e tree line, exce&t w ere natural fire fre:uency or ot er distur!ance is too ig , or w ere t e en"ironment as !een altered !y uman acti"ity. T e latitudes $-; nort and sout of t e *:uator are mostly co"ered in tro&ical rainforest, and t e latitudes !etween <,;5 and =>;5 a"e !oreal forest. As a general rule, forests dominated !y angios&erms +broadleaf forests. are more s&ecies4ric t an t ose dominated !y gymnos&erms +conifer, montane, or needleleaf forests., alt oug exce&tions exist. 1orests sometimes contain many tree s&ecies wit in a small area +as in tro&ical rain and tem&erate deciduous forests., or relati"ely few s&ecies o"er large areas +e.g., taiga and arid montane coniferous forests.. 1orests are often ome to many animal and &lant s&ecies, and !iomass &er unit area is ig com&ared to ot er "egetation communities. Muc of t is !iomass occurs !elow ground in t e root systems and as &artially decom&osed &lant detritus. T e woody com&onent of a forest contains lignin, w ic is relati"ely slow to decom&ose com&ared wit ot er organic materials suc as cellulose or car!o ydrate. 1orests are differentiated from woodlands !y t e extent of cano&y co"erage8 in a forest, t e !ranc es and t e foliage of se&arate trees often meet or interloc6, alt oug t ere can !e ga&s of "arying si9es wit in an area referred to as forest. A woodland as a more continuously o&en cano&y, wit trees s&aced furt er a&art, w ic allows more sunlig t to &enetrate to t e ground !etween t em +also see8 sa"anna.. Among t e ma?or forested !iomes are8

rain forest +tro&ical and tem&erate. taiga tem&erate ardwood forest

1orests can !e classified in different ways and to different degrees of s&ecificity. 0ne suc way is in terms of t e /!iome/ in w ic t ey exist, com!ined wit leaf longe"ity of t e dominant s&ecies +w et er t ey are e"ergreen or deciduous.. Anot er distinction is w et er t e forests com&osed &redominantly of !roadleaf trees, coniferous +needle4lea"ed. trees, or mixed.

Boreal forests occu&y t e su!arctic 9one and are generally e"ergreen and coniferous. Tem&erate 9ones su&&ort !ot !roadleaf deciduous forests +e.g., tem&erate deciduous forest. and e"ergreen coniferous forests +e.g., Tem&erate coniferous forests and Tem&erate rainforests.. @arm tem&erate 9ones su&&ort !roadleaf e"ergreen forests, including laurel forests. Tro&ical and su!tro&ical forests include tro&ical and su!tro&ical moist forests, tro&ical and su!tro&ical dry forests, and tro&ical and su!tro&ical coniferous forests. P ysiognomy classifies forests !ased on t eir o"erall & ysical structure or de"elo&mental stage +e.g. old growt "s. second growt .. 1orests can also !e classified more s&ecifically !ased on t e climate and t e dominant tree s&ecies &resent, resulting in numerous different forest ty&es +e.g., &onderosa &ineABouglas4fir forest..

A num!er of glo!al forest classification systems a"e !een &ro&osed, !ut none as gained uni"ersal acce&tance.#<% 35*P4@7M7's forest category classification system is a sim&lification of ot er more com&lex systems +e.g. 35*S70's forest and woodland 'su!formations'.. T is system di"ides t e world's forests into C= ma?or ty&es, w ic reflect climatic 9ones as well as t e &rinci&al ty&es of trees. T ese C= ma?or ty&es can !e reclassified into = !roader categories8 tem&erate needleleafD tem&erate !roadleaf and mixedD tro&ical moistD tro&ical dryD s&arse trees and &ar6landD and forest &lantations. *ac category is descri!ed as a se&arate section !elow.

[edit] Temperate needleleaf

Tem&erate needleleaf forests mostly occu&y t e ig er latitude regions of t e nort ern emis& ere, as well as ig altitude 9ones and some warm tem&erate areas, es&ecially on nutrient4&oor or ot erwise unfa"oura!le soils. T ese forests are com&osed entirely, or nearly so, of coniferous s&ecies +7onifero& yta.. En t e 5ort ern Hemis& ere &ines Pinus, s&ruces Picea, larc es 2arix, sil"er firs A!ies, Bouglas firs Pseudotsuga and emloc6s Tsuga, ma6e u& t e cano&y, !ut ot er taxa are also im&ortant. En t e Sout ern Hemis& ere most coniferous trees, mem!ers of t e Araucariaceae and Podocar&aceae, occur in mixtures wit !roadleaf s&ecies t at are classed as !roadleaf and mixed forests.

[edit] Temperate broadleaf and mixed

Tem&erate !roadleaf and mixed forests include a su!stantial com&onent of trees in t e Ant o& yta. T ey are generally c aracteristic of t e warmer tem&erate latitudes, !ut extend to cool tem&erate ones, &articularly in t e sout ern emis& ere. T ey include suc forest ty&es as t e mixed deciduous forests of t e 3SA and t eir counter&arts in 7 ina and Fa&an, t e !roadleaf e"ergreen rain forests of Fa&an, 7 ile and Tasmania, t e sclero& yllous forests of Australia, 7entral 7 ile, t e Mediterranean and 7alifornia, and t e sout ern !eec 5ot ofagus forests of 7 ile and 5ew Gealand.

[edit] Tropical moist

Et as !een suggested t at Jungle !e merged into t is article or section. +Biscuss. Tro&ical moist forests include many different forest ty&es. T e !est 6nown and most extensi"e are t e lowland e"ergreen !roadleaf rainforests include, for exam&le8 t e seasonally inundated "ar9ea and iga&H forests and t e terra firme forests of t e Ama9on BasinD t e &eat forests and moist di&terocar& forests of Sout east AsiaD and t e ig forests of t e 7ongo Basin. T e forests of tro&ical mountains are also included in t is !road category, generally di"ided into u&&er and lower montane formations on t e !asis of t eir & ysiognomy, w ic "aries wit altitude. T e montane forests include cloud forest, t ose forests at middle to ig altitude, w ic deri"e a significant &art of t eir water !udget from cloud, and su&&ort a ric a!undance of "ascular and non"ascular e&i& ytes. Mangro"e forests also fall wit in t is !road category, as do most of t e tro&ical coniferous forests of 7entral America.

[edit] Tropical dry

Tro&ical dry forests are c aracteristic of areas in t e tro&ics affected !y seasonal droug t. T e seasonality of rainfall is usually reflected in t e deciduousness of t e forest cano&y, wit most trees !eing leafless for se"eral mont s of t e year. Howe"er, under some conditions, e.g. less fertile soils or less &redicta!le droug t regimes, t e &ro&ortion of e"ergreen s&ecies increases and t e forests are c aracterised as /sclero& yllous/. T orn forest, a dense forest of low stature wit a ig fre:uency of t orny or s&iny s&ecies, is found w ere droug t is &rolonged, and es&ecially w ere gra9ing animals are &lentiful. 0n "ery &oor soils, and es&ecially w ere fire is a recurrent & enomenon, woody sa"annas de"elo& +see 's&arse trees and &ar6land'..

[edit] Sparse trees and parkland

Taiga forest near Saran&aul in t e nort east 3ral mountains, I anty4Mansiys6 Autonomous 06rug, Russia. Trees include Picea o!o"ata +dominant on rig t !an6., 2arix si!irica, Pinus si!irica, and Betula &endula. S&arse trees and &ar6land are forests wit o&en cano&ies of $-4,-) crown co"er. T ey occur &rinci&ally in areas of transition from forested to non4forested landsca&es. T e two ma?or 9ones in w ic t ese ecosystems occur are in t e !oreal region and in t e seasonally dry tro&ics. At ig latitudes, nort of t e main 9one of !oreal forest or taiga, growing conditions are not ade:uate to maintain a continuous closed forest co"er, so tree co"er is !ot s&arse and

discontinuous. T is "egetation is "ariously called o&en taiga, o&en lic en woodland, and forest tundra. Et is s&ecies4&oor, as ig !ryo& yte co"er, and is fre:uently affected !y fire.

[edit] Forest plantations

1orest &lantations, generally intended for t e &roduction of tim!er and &ul&wood increase t e total area of forest worldwide. 7ommonly mono4s&ecific andAor com&osed of introduced tree s&ecies, t ese ecosystems are not generally im&ortant as a!itat for nati"e !iodi"ersity. Howe"er, t ey can !e managed in ways t at en ance t eir !iodi"ersity &rotection functions and t ey are im&ortant &ro"iders of ecosystem ser"ices suc as maintaining nutrient ca&ital, &rotecting waters eds and soil structure as well as storing car!on. T ey may also &lay an im&ortant role in alle"iating &ressure on natural forests for tim!er and fuelwood &roduction.

[edit] Forest categories

A tem&erate deciduous !roadleaf forest, t e Hasenholz, sout east of Iirc eim unter Tec6, Swa!ia, Germany.

[edit] Tropical forest types

[edit] Forest loss and management

Main articles: Forestry, Logging and Deforestation

7oastal Bouglas fir woodland in nort west 0regon.

Redwood tree in nort ern 7alifornia redwood forest, w ere many redwood trees are managed for &reser"ation and longe"ity, rat er t an !eing ar"ested for wood &roduction. T e scientific study of forest s&ecies and t eir interaction wit t e en"ironment is referred to as forest ecology, w ile t e management of forests is often referred to as forestry. 1orest management as c anged considera!ly o"er t e last few centuries, wit ra&id c anges from t e $'J-s onwards culminating in a &ractice now referred to as sustaina!le forest management. 1orest ecologists concentrate on forest &atterns and &rocesses, usually wit t e aim of elucidating cause and effect relations i&s. 1oresters w o &ractice sustaina!le forest management focus on t e integration of ecological, social and economic "alues, often in consultation wit local communities and ot er sta6e olders. Ant ro&ogenic factors t at can affect forests include logging, ur!an s&rawl, uman4caused forest fires, acid rain, in"asi"e s&ecies, and t e slas and !urn &ractices of swidden agriculture or s ifting culti"ation. T e loss and re4growt of forest leads to a distinction !etween two !road

ty&es of forest, &rimary or old4growt forest and secondary forest. T ere are also many natural factors t at can cause c anges in forests o"er time including forest fires, insects, diseases, weat er, com&etition !etween s&ecies, etc. En $''>, t e @orld Resources Enstitute recorded t at only C-) of t e world's original forests remained in large intact tracts of undistur!ed forest.#>% More t an ><) of t ese intact forests lie in t ree countries 4 t e Boreal forests of Russia and 7anada and t e rainforest of Bra9il. En C--= t is information on intact forests was u&dated using latest a"aila!le satellite imagery. 7anada as a!out (,-C-,--- s:uare 6ilometres +$,<<-,--- s: mi. of forest land. More t an '-) of forest land is &u!licly owned and a!out <-) of t e total forest area is allocated for ar"esting. T ese allocated areas are managed using t e &rinci&les of sustaina!le forest management, w ic includes extensi"e consultation wit local sta6e olders. A!out eig t &ercent of 7anadaKs forest is legally &rotected from resource de"elo&ment +Glo!al 1orest @atc 7anada.+5atural Resources 7anada.. Muc more forest land L a!out (- &ercent of t e total forest land !ase L is su!?ect to "arying degrees of &rotection t roug &rocesses suc as integrated land4use &lanning or defined management areas suc as certified forests +5atural Resources 7anada.. By Becem!er C--=, o"er $,C,>,--- s:uare 6ilometers of forest land in 7anada +a!out alf t e glo!al total. ad !een certified as !eing sustaina!ly managed +7anadian Sustaina!le 1orestry 7ertification 7oalition.. 7learcutting is usually t e ar"est met od of c oice and com&anies are re:uired !y law to ensure t at ar"ested areas are ade:uately regenerated. Most 7anadian &ro"inces a"e regulations limiting t e si9e of clearcuts, alt oug some older clearcuts can range u&wards of $$- s:uare 6ilometres +C>,--- acres. in si9e w ic were cut o"er se"eral years. En t e 3nited States, most forests a"e istorically !een affected !y umans to some degree, t oug in recent years im&ro"ed forestry &ractices as el&ed regulate or moderate large scale or se"ere im&acts. Howe"er, t e 3nited States 1orest Ser"ice estimates a net loss of a!out C million ectares +(,'(C,--- acres. !etween $''> and C-C-D t is estimate includes con"ersion of forest land to ot er uses, including ur!an and su!ur!an de"elo&ment, as well as afforestation and natural re"ersion of a!andoned cro& and &asture land to forest. Howe"er, in many areas of t e 3nited States, t e area of forest is sta!le or increasing, &articularly in many nort ern states. 0ld4growt forest contains mainly natural &atterns of !iodi"ersity in esta!lis ed seral &atterns, and t ey contain mainly s&ecies nati"e to t e region and a!itat. T e natural formations and &rocesses a"e not !een affected !y umans wit a fre:uency or intensity to c ange t e natural structure and com&onents of t e a!itat. Secondary forest contains significant elements of s&ecies w ic were originally from ot er regions or a!itats.

[edit] Gallery

A deciduous !roadleaf A forest on San Fuan 3ec6ermMnder Heide

+Beec . forest in Slo"enia.

+Pus9c9a @6r9aNs6a., Esland in @as ington. GermanyAPoland

Ma&le and 0a6 +!roadleaf, deciduous. forest in @isconsin during winter.

A forest on 0sa6a, Fa&an.

1orest in Alsace, 1rance.

Brawno 5ational Par6, Poland