Different types of forests and their forms of usage. (0)

Different types of forests and
their forms of usage
TARTU 2010
Forest
A forest (also called a wood, woodland, wold, weald, holt,
frith) is an area with a high density of trees.
Forests cover approximately 30% of land and 9.4% of all the planet earth.
They are also responsible for regulating our planet's climate and act as large
purifiers of airs, by absorbing carbon dioxide, and giving out oxygen.
Different types of forests
Forests are divided into following main types:
o
Tropical forest
o
Subtropical forest
o
Plantations
o
Boreal forest
o
Temperate forest
o
Seasonal or monsoon
forest
Tropical and Subtropical
Forests
Tropical and subtropical forests, also known as
rainforests or tropical rainforests, are lavish and
ample forests with broad leave tree.
They are mostly found at lowlands near the
equator - Asia, Africa, South & Central America
and on many of the Pacific Islands.
Almost 50% forests
of the world are tropical
and subtropical in nature.
Rainforests are characterized by high rainfall.
They are home to two-thirds of all the living animal and plant species on the
planet.
Tall, broad-leaved evergreen trees are the dominant plants, forming a leafy
canopy over the forest floor.
The undergrowth or understory in a rainforest generally
consists of shade-tolerant shrubs, herbs,
ferns, small trees and large woody vines.
The temperature ranges from 5°C to 50°C.
Human uses of tropical and subtropical forests:
o Habitation - Humans have and do exploit rainforests for
food and shelter in several parts of the world.
o Cultivated foods and spices - Coffee, chocolate, bananas
etc. all originally came from tropical rainforests, and are still
mostly grown in regions that were formerly primary forest.
o Pharmaceutical and biodiversity resource - Tropical
rainforests are called the 'world's largest "pharmacy"'
because of the large amount of natural "medicines" there.
o Tourism - People travel both nationally and internationally to
experience rainforests firsthand.
o Animal products - Rainforests provide numerous animal
products including honey, game meat, hides and ivory.
o Ecosystem services - Rainforests play an important role in
maintaining biological diversity, modulating precipitation
infiltration and flooding, increasing scientific knowledge and
in the spiritual well-being of humans.
Boreal forests
Boreal forests are also known by name Taiga.
The largest areas of boreal forest are located in Russia and Canada, but also in
the extreme northern continental United States, in Eurasia (most of Sweden,
Finland, inland Norway), northern Kazakhstan, northern Mongolia and northern
Japan.
These forests are occupying about 17% of the land and
make up 27% of the world's forest cover.
Temperature in these forests is usually low, as the canopy allows very low
sunlight to penetrate.
Low penetration of light along with low temperature is responsible for limited
under story.
Soil of these forests is poor- nutrient and thin.
Trees like pine, spruce and fir are most likely to be found in these forests.
A number of animal species also found in these forests
which includes bears, bats,
woodpecker, fox etc.
Human uses of boreal forests:
o
Wood products - One of the most important human uses of these forests
­ for example wood for house construction and paper pulp.
o
Animal products - Most valuable animal products of the cold forests and
mountains are animal pelts for clothing and beaver for hats.
o
Grazing & agriculture - Upland forests are often cleared for grazing and
lowland forests for agriculture.
o
Habitation ­ Population is not dense, but many people live there.
Temperate forests
Temperate forests can be found on both hemispheres on latitude approximately
25 to 50 in regions of northeastern Asia, North America, western and central
Europe.
They can be categorized as deciduous as well as evergreen.
These forests are include:
o
Temperate deciduous forest
o
Temperate broadleaf and mixed
forests
o
Temperate coniferous forest
o
Temperate rainforest
They have all four seasons - summer, spring, winter and fall.
Soil of these forests is fertile and enrich.
Canopy in tropical forests is multilayered and continuous, allowing little light
penetration.
Temperature is on average 20-25° C and varies little throughout the year.
Animal species found in these forests are for
example rabbits, squirrels, wolf, black
bear, mountain lion and bob cat.
Human uses of temperate forests:
o
Habitation - Population density very closely corresponds to the distribution
of Temperate Forests. Many forests have been cleared to build
communities.
o
Wood products - We use the wood of these trees for construction,
firewood and art.
o
Farming ­ Many areas of temperate forests have been cleared for farms.
Seasonal/Monsoon Forests
These forests are also known as dry forests.
Forests of this type can be found in Southeast Asia, West and East Africa,
eastern Brazil and northern Australia.
These forests go through two extreme seasons; the season of heavy rainfall
and a long season of complete dryness.
Trees of these forests include woody vines,
orchid and many others like.
Human uses of monsoon/seasonal forests:
o
Habitation ­ Some people live in those areas
(for example in India).
o
Cultivation ­ A lot of territories of those forests have been cleared in order
to cultivate crops there. It is a serious threat to those forests.
Plantations
Plantation can also be classified as type of
forest.
Plantation is actually a large farm, piece of land or estate that is use for
cultivation.
Plantation is usually adopted in tropical and subtropical regions.
In these farms and lands cultivation of different crops is done on a large scale
for international or distant markets rather than for local or domestic
consumption.
These crops include rubber seeds, oil seeds, sugar cane, cotton, tobacco,
coffee and sisal. Plantation done for industrial purpose is called forestry.
It is it done to get larger amount of wood in a shorter span of time.
Human uses of plantations:
o
Their only use is cultivating crops.
Used sources
http://hubpages.com/hub/Types-Of-Forests
http://www.sabalolodge.com/tropical-rainforest.html