Coniferous forest

The coniferous forests of temperate regions undergo warm summers and cool winters, unlike their tropical counterparts. The species aren't exclusively conifers, there are usually a few broadleaf varieties too. Giant trees – the redwoods of the Americas, the mountain ash of Australia and the kauri of New Zealand – are often a feature, particularly where there is higher rainfall. Britain, perhaps surprisingly for its cold, rainy reputation, doesn't have the climate to support these giant trees.

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About Coniferous forest

The temperate coniferous forest includes areas such as the Valdivian temperate rain forests of southwestern South America, the rain forests of New Zealand and Tasmania, northwest Europe (small pockets in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Iceland and a somewhat larger area in Norway), southern Japan, and the eastern Black Sea-Caspian Sea region of Turkey and Georgia to northern Iran.

The moist conditions of temperate rain forests generally support an understory of mosses, ecosystem and are notable for trees of massive proportions, including Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron gigantea), Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis), Alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides) and Kauri (Agathis australis). These forests are quite rare, occurring in small areas of North America, southwestern South America and northern New Zealand. The Klamath-Siskiyou forests of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon is known for its rich variety of plant and animal species, including many endemic species.

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Other Terrestrial Habitats

Ecozones where this habitat is found

Useful adaptations for this habitat

Where you find Coniferous forest

Map showing the location of the Coniferous forest habitat

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