Temperate forests are often called deciduous forests. In a temperate forest, most of the trees lose their leaves in the winter. During the fall, when the weather gets cooler, the trees begin to shut down. Their leaves turn beautiful shades of colors. Come winter time, the leaves fall off of the trees. Why do you think this is so?The deciduous trees must lose their leaves, because water is not available for the leaves to survive. Also, the trees are not strong enough to keep their leaves and hold up all the snow that comes in the winter.
Is a temperate forest hot or cold? In a temperate forest, there are four definate seasons. In some biomes, like the tundra, it is usually cold, but not in the temperate forest. Spring time brings new life to the trees and plants, warm temperatures, and rain which helps everything grow. Summer is hot, and everything is green for all the trees now have leaves. Fall is cool. The trees are beginning to change colors such as red, yellow, and bright orange. Winter months are extremely cold. All the trees loose their leaves.
The average temperature for a year in the temperate forest is about 50 degrees F.
The forests usually gets about 30 to 60 inches of every year. Look at the chart below to compare the rainfall of thetemperate forests with the other biomes.
The temperate forests are always changing due to the weather, animals, and people.
What kind of trees grow in the temperate forest? A forest has many layers of plant life. There are the small plants such as shrubs, moss, ferns, and lichens which grow quietly beneath the shadows of the tall trees.
The trees found in a temperate forest are called hardwoods. This means the trees loose their leaves in the winter. Their trunks are also made of a bark that is very hard.
Most of the trees are maple, birch, beech, oak, hickory, and sweet gum. There are many other types of trees found in the forest too.
A temperate forest also contains a few pine trees and other coniferous trees. The Taiga is usually found north of the temperate forests, but sometimes they overlap.
What kind of animals live in the temperate forest? Animals in a forest come in all different shapes and sizes. Below are a few examples of the kinds of animals you might find in a forest. Have you ever seen any of these animals before?
Cardinal - A cardinal is a bird that is often found in the United States. You can tell it is a cardinal by its bright red feathers.
Squirrel - Here is an animal that you might have seen before. A squirrel is a furry animal with a big, bushy tail. It eats nuts and seeds and lives in the trees.
Bear - There are many types of bears around the world. There are grizzly bears, black bears, and polar bears just to name a few.
There are so many other animals that live in the forests. Can you think of any others?
Temperate Forest Facts The largest tree in the world is found right here in the United States. You can find it in California. This giant sequoia tree is 275 feet tall and 95 feet around. Boy, that's HUGE!
The largest forest in the world covers parts of Scandinavia and northern Russia. It has over 3.5 million square miles of land covered in trees!
Most hardwood trees are used for firewood, construction, or art. Lots of forests are being cut down for farm land.
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