Home›Species›Ecosystem›Pacific Northwest Temperate RainforestEcosystemPacific Northwest Temperate RainforestTemperate Forest and ShrublandReference and ClassificationVerifiedThe largest temperate-zone rainforest on Earth, running along the west-facing coastal mountains from Kodiak Island in Alaska to northern California through British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. Heavy winter rain and summer fog drip keep the forest floor consistently moist beneath a canopy of Coast Douglas-fir, Sitka spruce, western hemlock and western redcedar, with dense understories of moss and fern and fallen nurse logs that seed the next generation of trees. Notable expanses survive in Olympic and Mount Rainier National Parks and in British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest, the world's largest tract of old-growth temperate rainforest; the ecoregion's Northern California reaches hold the coast redwood, the world's tallest tree species, and salmon, spotted owls and marbled murrelets all depend on intact old growth. Much of the original old-growth forest outside protected areas has already been logged. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/FactsPacific Northwest Temperate RainforestConnectionsIn the Other AtlasesSourcesOpen Questions (1 open question)Take a Related QuizComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsClassificationBiogeographic RealmWell-attestedNearctic 1Protected StatusWell-attestedPartially Protected 1Area (sq km)Well-attested295,000 2Pacific Northwest Temperate RainforestFilter Results5 entriesCommon GroupAllGastropods (Snails And Slugs) (1)Pines (Pinaceae) (1)Pleurocarpous Mosses (Mat-Forming) (1)Salamanders And Newts (Caudata) (1)TaxonomyAllAmphibia (1)Gastropoda (1)Pinopsida (1)Plantae (1)Ursidae (1)HabitatAllBog (1)River (1)Steppe (1)Temperate Coniferous Forest (1)Temperate Rainforest (2)Conservation StatusAllLeast Concern (4)Everyday GroupAllGastropods (Snails And Slugs) (1)Pines (Pinaceae) (1)Pleurocarpous Mosses (Mat-Forming) (1)Salamanders And Newts (Caudata) (1)DietAllDetritivore or Scavenger (1)Insectivore (1)Omnivore (1)Photosynthetic Autotroph (2)System (Realm)AllTerrestrial (4)Terrestrial and Freshwater (1)Relationship to PeopleAllHunted or Fished (1)Invasive or Introduced Species (1)No Significant Interaction with Humans (1)Living or ExtinctAllYes (4)Where It LivesAllArgentina (1)Australia (1)Austria (1)Belgium (2)Bosnia and Herzegovina (1)Bulgaria (1)Croatia (1)Czechia (1)Denmark (2)Estonia (1)Finland (1)France (1)Germany (1)Greece (1)Hungary (1)Iceland (1)Iran (1)Ireland (1)Italy (1)Liechtenstein (1)Lithuania (1)Luxembourg (1)Mexico (1)Netherlands (1)North America (4)Norway (2)Poland (1)Portugal (2)Romania (1)Spain (1)Sweden (3)Switzerland (1)Tunisia (1)United Kingdom (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 5Banana SlugPacific Northwest Temperate RainforestDouglas FirPacific Northwest Temperate RainforestGrizzly BearPacific Northwest Temperate RainforestShining HookeriaPacific Northwest Temperate RainforestSouthern Torrent SalamanderPacific Northwest Temperate RainforestConnectionsDemonstratesDecomposition, Natural Phenomena Well-attested Source Encyclopaedia Britannicatier 1HostsBanana Slug, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Banana slugDouglas Fir, Species Well-attested Source World Wildlife FundGrizzly Bear, Species Well-attested Source World Wildlife FundShining Hookeria, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Hookeria lucenstier 2Southern Torrent Salamander, Species Well-attested Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Rhyacotriton variegatusIn BiomeTemperate Rainforest, Biomes Well-attested Source World Wildlife FundOpen QuestionsWhat is the total area of the Pacific temperate rainforest?, Open Questions Well-attested Source Pacific Temperate Rainforests (Wikipedia)tier 2In the Other AtlasesFound InCanadaAlso in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.United StatesAlso in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.Sources1. Pacific Temperate Rainforests (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaPacific temperate rainforests subsectionThe Northern California coastal forests are home to the Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), the world's tallest tree.Biogeographic realm: nearctic (derived from location stated in entity description)Protected status (stated plainly in the entity own recorded description)Notable expanses survive in Olympic and Mount Rainier National Parks and in British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest, the world's largest tract of old-growth temperate rainforest; the ecoregion's Northern California reaches hold the coast redwood, the world's tallest tree species, and salmon, spotted owls and marbled murrelets all depend on intact old growth.View the Source2. Largest Temperate Rainforest (Guinness World Records)tier 2Guinness World RecordsRecord description, area figureQuote, Record description, area figureThe largest expanse of temperate rainforest on Earth is the Pacific Temperate Rainforests, which cover around 295,000 square km of the west coasts of the USA and Canada.View the SourceWorld Wildlife FundWorld Wildlife FundIn Biome: Temperate RainforestHosts: Douglas FirHosts: Grizzly BearView the SourceEncyclopaedia Britannicatier 1Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.Demonstrates: DecompositionView the SourceAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Rhyacotriton variegatusAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyHosts: Southern Torrent Salamander, Geographic RangeQuote, Hosts: Southern Torrent Salamander, Geographic RangeThese streams can be found throughout the mountains and forested regions of the Pacific Northwest.View the SourceWikipedia: Hookeria lucenstier 2WikipediaHosts: Shining Hookeria, HabitatQuote, Hosts: Shining Hookeria, HabitatIt is particularly associated with the Pacific Northwest's coastal rainforest ecosystemsView the SourceWikipedia: Banana slugHosts: Banana Slug, DistributionQuote, Hosts: Banana Slug, DistributionAriolimax 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.View the SourceOpen Questions (1 open question)What is the total area of the Pacific temperate rainforest?This atlas's own cited Wikipedia article and the WWF classification both describe the Pacific temperate rainforest as the world's largest temperate rainforest, but the region is mapped as several separate ecoregions (Northern Pacific coastal forests, British Columbia mainland coastal forests, Central Pacific coastal forests, Klamath-Siskiyou forests and others), each carrying its own area figure in reference sources. No live source found states one combined total for the whole region, and summing the separate ecoregion figures ourselves would be this atlas's own calculation rather than an attested figure taken from a source.What would resolve this A single authoritative source (WWF or a peer-reviewed biogeography reference) that states one combined total area for the Pacific temperate rainforest as a single region, or that explicitly names which ecoregions such a total should sum.Physical geography / biogeographyPacific Temperate Rainforests (Wikipedia)Take a Related QuizWetlands, Reefs and Deltas: New EcosystemsCovers this kind of entry.Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.