Temperate Rainforest Ned Turner and Sebastian Anderson

Distribution Very few around the world, and only exist in certain regions around the oceanic moist climates. Some areas, however, such as the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, northern Idaho and northwestern Montana, the Rocky Mountain Trench in BC and Montana, and the Russian Far East in Asia have more continental climates but get enough precipitation in both rain and snow to harbor significant pockets of temperate rainforest.

Vegetation There are many different types of plants that live in the temperate rainforest biome. A few examples are the coastal redwood, fireweed, and western skunk cabbage. Coastal Redwoods are very tall and have shallow root systems. They have a lot of mosses and lichens turn into epiphytes. Big coniferous trees dominate the landscape The forest floor is covered with moss, the common denominator puts minimal water stress on plants without roots.

Animals There is a large diversity of animals in the temperate rainforest such as mountain lions, Roosevelt elks, varied thrush and pacific tree frog. The main predator, the mountain lion are the main predators as they eat deer, elk, porcupines, and other prey. Mountain lions usually hunt at night or during dusk or dawn Roosevelt elks are also a common sight as they are the largest variety of elk in North America. Both males and females have a dark brown head and a light brown body. The males and females can be told apart by their size, males are larger, males have antlers and females don't.

Soil Fertility On the forest floor of temperate rainforests the soil is dark and damp. This soil is richer than the soil of tropical rainforests partly because the trees in tropical rainforests spread their roots into large mats that suck all of the nutrients out of the soil. This soil is good for growing thick fat trees which can live up to 500 years in length. The soil host trees up to 250 feet. Logs from trees that have fallen decompose and provide nutrients for the plants nearby.

Use To Humans/ Threats What use to be valleys have turned into tree farms. New tree species have replaced the traditional vegetation of the rain forest in Chile and New Zealand. The once extensive rainforest of the Scottish Highland are now gone. Other uses to humans are coastal fisheries, and getting raw materials for our everyday production.