Restoring Temperate Forests

Temperate forests cover more than 20 million km of the Earth’s surface, including forest types such as boreal conifer forests, the mixed deciduous forests of the United States, Europe, western Asia, China and Japan, and the evergreen rain forests of Chile, New Zealand, and Tasmania. In the Northern Hemisphere, dominant tree genera are typically members of the oak family (Fagaceae) or conifers such as pines (Pinus) and spruces (Picea). Southern Hemisphere forests are often dominated by southern beeches (Nothofagus spp.), mixed with conifers such as members of the Araucariaceae and Podocarpaceae. While temperate forests tend to be lower in diversity of plant or animal species than tropical forests, the diversity of fungi, mosses, and lichens may often be very high, particularly in areas of high humidity. Those of the Southern Hemisphere are characterised by many species that have restricted distribution. Temperate forests can be structurally complex, with up to seven distinct canopy layers. The largest trees can reach over 50m in height with girths of 2m or more. Spatial variation in forest structure and composition is influenced by the pattern of natural and anthropogenic disturbance, such as wind or 46 Restoring Temperate Forests