A biome of the cool mid-latitudes, roughly 40 to 60 degrees north and south, defined less by temperature than by exceptionally heavy and near-constant moisture: direct rainfall through most of the year, often supplemented near the coast by fog drip condensing on the forest canopy. That sets it apart from the Temperate Forest biome further inland, which carries a true dry season and is dominated by broadleaf deciduous trees; a temperate rainforest instead stays wet enough to support evergreen, often coniferous, giants that never need to shed their leaves against drought. The largest example, the Pacific temperate rainforest of North America, runs roughly 1,900 kilometers along the coast from northern California through British Columbia to southeast Alaska, built on towering conifers such as coast redwood, Sitka spruce, western hemlock and Douglas fir; comparable but floristically distinct temperate rainforests occur in Chile and Argentina's Valdivian forest and in smaller patches of New Zealand and Tasmania.
Facts
Climate
Annual Precipitation (mm)The defining range runs roughly 1500 to 5000 millimeters a year depending on location; some Pacific Northwest sites exceed 3000mm. Typical Low Temperature (C)The cited 10 to 24C band describes typical moderate conditions; 2C here reflects an occasional colder winter night below that typical band, consistent with this biome's coastal maritime character elsewhere in the same source. Typical High Temperature (C)Summers stay mild rather than hot, the same maritime influence that moderates winter. Temperate Rainforest
Filter Results3 entries
Connections
Demonstrates
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Home To
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Anaxyrus americanus
Source Australian king parrot (Wikidata)
Source Wikipedia: Banana slug
Source World's Oldest and Largest Species in Decline, IUCN Red List (IUCN)
Source Trichosurus vulpecula - Animal Diversity Web
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Rhinoderma darwinii
Source Douglas fir - Wikipedia
Source Fiordland (Wikipedia)
Source Wikidata: Fomitopsis Pinicola
Source Abies grandis (Wikipedia)
Source Plants For A Future: Athrotaxis selaginoides
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Leopardus guigna
Source Wikipedia: Long-toed Salamander
Source Wikipedia: Orthotrichum lyellii
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Colaptes auratus
Source World Wildlife Fund
Source Athrotaxis cupressoides (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Polytrichastrum formosum
Source Wikidata: Saxegothaea
Source Picea sitchensis (Wikipedia)
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Thylacinus cynocephalus
Source Tree fern - Wikipedia
Source World Wildlife Fund
Source Wikidata: Wollemia
Source Wikidata: Wollemia
Sources
1. Pacific Temperate Rainforests (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIntroductionQuote, Introduction
The Pacific temperate rain forests are characterized by a high amount of rainfall, in some areas more than 300 cm (10 ft) per year and moderate temperatures in both the summer and winter months (10-24 °C or 50-75 °F).
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.britannica.com/science/temperate-rainforest, opening definition
temperate rainforest, in ecology, a biome dominated by a mix of broad-leaved or coniferous trees that occurs in the middle latitudes, mostly between approximately 40° and 60° in both Northern and Southern hemispheres, and characterized by abundant moisture present throughout the year. Like all rainforests, these forests are wet, receiving between roughly 150 and 500 cm (about 60 and 200 inches) of precipitation per year in the form of heavy rain and coastal fog, and have lush plant growth. They differ from tropical rainforests in that they experience mild temperatures in both summer and winter. These ecological regions are of vital ecological importance, acting as both stores of carbon and habitats for a wide variety of plants and animals.
- In Category: Biomes
- Demonstrates: Carbon Cycle
View the Source World's Oldest and Largest Species in Decline, IUCN Red List (IUCN)
International Union for Conservation of NatureHome To: Coast RedwoodView the Source Fiordland (Wikipedia)
World Wildlife Fund
World Wildlife Fund- Home To: Pacific Northwest Temperate Rainforest
- Home To: Valdivian Temperate Rainforest
View the Source Wikipedia: Long-toed Salamander
WikipediaHome To: Long-toed Salamander, Wikipedia intro: "with an altitudinal range of up to 2,800 m (9,200 ft). It lives in a variety of habitats, including temperate rainforests, coniferous forests, montane riparian..."View the Source Wikidata: Wollemia
- Home To: Wollemia, Introduction
- Home To: Wollemi Pine, Introduction
View the SourceWikidata: Saxegothaea
Wikidata: Fomitopsis Pinicola
Australian king parrot (Wikidata)
Wikipedia: Polytrichastrum formosum
WikipediaHome To: Polytrichastrum Formosum, HabitatQuote, Home To: Polytrichastrum Formosum, Habitat
Polytrichastrum formosum generally inhabits shaded, poor soils and humus in damp coniferous forests and cool temperate rainforests.
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Rhinoderma darwinii
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyHome To: Darwin's Frog, Habitat Regions, biome: rainforestQuote, Home To: Darwin's Frog, Habitat Regions, biome: rainforest
rainforest rainforest
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Anaxyrus americanus
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyHome To: American Toad, Habitat Regions, biome: rainforestQuote, Home To: American Toad, Habitat Regions, biome: rainforest
rainforest rainforest
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Leopardus guigna
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyHome To: Kodkod, Habitat Regions, biome: rainforestQuote, Home To: Kodkod, Habitat Regions, biome: rainforest
rainforest rainforest
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Colaptes auratus
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyHome To: Northern flicker, Habitat Regions, biome: rainforestQuote, Home To: Northern flicker, Habitat Regions, biome: rainforest
rainforest rainforest
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Thylacinus cynocephalus
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyHome To: Thylacine, Habitat Regions, biome: rainforestQuote, Home To: Thylacine, Habitat Regions, biome: rainforest
rainforest rainforest
Picea sitchensis (Wikipedia)
Home To: Sitka Spruce, Distribution and habitatQuote, Home To: Sitka Spruce, Distribution and habitat
It is closely associated with the temperate rainforests and is found within a few kilometers of the coast in the southern portion of its range.
Douglas fir - Wikipedia
Home To: Douglas Fir, Preferred sitesQuote, Home To: Douglas Fir, Preferred sites
Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca exhibits even greater plasticity, occurring in stands of interior temperate rainforest in British Columbia, as well as at the edge of semi-arid sagebrush steppe throughout much of its range, where it generates even deeper taproots still.
Tree fern - Wikipedia
Home To: Tree Fern, RangeQuote, Home To: Tree Fern, Range
Tree ferns are found growing in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide, as well as cool to temperate rainforests in Australia, New Zealand and neighbouring regions (e.g.
Wikipedia: Orthotrichum lyellii
WikipediaHome To: Lyell's Bristle-moss, HabitatQuote, Home To: Lyell's Bristle-moss, Habitat
O. lyellii distribution is concentrated in coastal temperate rainforests lying closer to sea level.
Abies grandis (Wikipedia)
Home To: Grand Fir, HabitatQuote, Home To: Grand Fir, Habitat
The coastal variety of grand fir grows in temperate rainforest environments along the Pacific coast from southwest British Columbia to Northern California, with the inland variety growing in montane conifer forests of eastern Washington, the Idaho Panhandle, and far western Montana.
Wikipedia: Banana slug
Home To: Banana Slug, habitat statementQuote, Home To: Banana Slug, habitat statement
Ariolimax columbianus is native to the forest floors along North America's Pacific coastal coniferous rainforest belt (including douglas-fir forests and redwood forests) which stretches from Southeastern Alaska to Santa Cruz, California.
Plants For A Future: Athrotaxis selaginoides
Plants For A FutureHome To: King Billy Pine, HabitatsQuote, Home To: King Billy Pine, Habitats
Cool rainforests where snowfall is quite common in winter and rainfall is 1.5 - 2 metres per year
Trichosurus vulpecula - Animal Diversity Web
Home To: Common Brushtail Possum, HabitatQuote, Home To: Common Brushtail Possum, Habitat
In Tasmania, Trichosurus vulpecula can be found throughout the rainforests and dry woodlands that cover over 60% of the area.
Athrotaxis cupressoides (Wikipedia)
Home To: Pencil Pine, HabitatQuote, Home To: Pencil Pine, Habitat
montane rainforests (also known as cool temperate rainforests)
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