The Four Season Forests

Moving away from the Tropics and the magnificent, highly diverse Rainforests, I will be going into the Temperate Forests. If you happen to live in the mid-latitudes, it is highly likely that where you are, once used to be growing a Temperate Forest. Temperate forests are the source of many of our favourite foods (e.g. apples, maple sugar, walnuts, mushrooms and may more). Adding to this, a considerable amount of the food we eat is agriculturally produced in areas where the Temperate Forests used to thrive but were cleared to sustain the human population and to provide food security to their nations (GLOBIO).

They are found in the mid-latitudes and thus between the Tropics and the Poles at about 25° and 50° in the North as well as the South Hemisphere (Figure 1) (EncyclopædiaBritannica). Temperate Forests are known for their distinct changes throughout the four seasons, since their location allows the exposure to warm and cold air masses. They have a moderate climate with temperatures ranging from -30°C to 30°C with hot summers, cold winters and precipitation of 750 to 1,500 mm/year. Seasonality is more notable with deciduous forests (EarthObservatory).


Figure 1: Map of Temperate Forests ( Riccardo Pravettoni, UNEP/GRID-Arendal)



Winter: most forests are covered with snow and the wildlife hides or migrates to be warm.

Spring: as the days get longer and warmer, wildlife and trees rebirth with the new leaves and budding on deciduous trees. The hatching of insects, gives food for return of the migrating birds in addition to rodents and reptiles.

Summer: the forest is green with abundant food. The animals give birth to babies, and the forest is busy throughout day and night.

 

Fall: as the days become shorter and colder, the deciduous trees change their leaf colour to orange, yellow, red, and brown since they lose their chlorophyll exposing other pigments. The falling leaves provide thick leaf litter to be recycled in the soil. Also, animals store for the winter months, since very little food will be available (Figure 2) (GLOBIO).

Figure 2: The Four Seasons Temperate Forests (biomesthird10)