Of the three forest types, boreal forests have the shortest growing season, about 130 days. Due to their vastness and remoteness, boreal forests are important storers of carbon. The plants and animals that do live in boreal forests are specially adapted to cope with short growing seasons and cold temperatures. Boreal forests’ bitter cold climate makes it difficult for life, leading to low species diversity compared to temperate and tropical forests. Beneath boreal forests is land shaped by glaciers that left a legacy in the geology, hydrology, and soils of the area. Marcus Timms / Getty Imagesīoreal forests, or taiga, are found between 50 and 60 degrees latitude in North America, Asia, and Europe. Garibaldi Lake, Whistler, British Columbia. Despite the value of intact forests for human well-being, forests around the world are threatened by human activities, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Tropical forests, found along the equator, experience high temperatures, long growing seasons, and harbor incredible amounts of biodiversity.įorests support humans on local and regional scales by providing ecosystem services like pollination, climate regulation, and soil conservation. Temperate forests, located in the mid-latitudes, have four distinct seasons.
Based on latitude, there are three types of forests: boreal, temperate, and tropical.īoreal forests, found farthest north, experience long, cold winters with short growing seasons. These climatic conditions determine what organisms can survive in an area and have helped shape the evolution of forests for millions of years. On a global scale, forests are shaped by the amount of solar radiation and precipitation, both of which are influenced by latitude.