Forests

A forest is a plant habitat that is dominated by trees but is also home to a diverse collection of plant life. With all these plants, a forest becomes a great storehouse of water, which in turn sustains and promotes plant growth. The plants then provide food for many animals that live in the forest. This interaction shows the cycle of life that takes place in forests.

Forests are classified into several types. These include the tropical rainforest, temperate, and coniferous types.

Tropical Rainforests

A tropical rainforest is characterized by wet climate due to very high amounts of rainfall that are experienced regularly throughout the whole year. Many tropical rainforests are found in areas near the equator such as Southeast Asia, West Africa, and Central America. This accounts for the warm temperature in tropical rainforests.

Trees in a tropical rainforest grow very tall and very close to each other, thus allowing very little light to reach the ground. This results in very lush and dense foliage in the forest. The trees and big plants generally have broad leaves with tips that enable rain to drop off the leaves quickly. In this way, the plants shed off excess water in which bacteria may develop.

Hundreds of tree species are found in tropical rainforests. Bromeliads, ferns, mahogany, orchids, palms, and vines are also among the many plants found in these areas.

Tropical rainforests abound in the Philippines, mostly in the islands of Luzon, Mindanao, Negros, Palawan, and Samar. About 6,000 plant species and 3,000 tree species are found in these forests.

Temperate Forests

Like the tropical rainforest, the temperate forest is characterized by wet climate due to generous amounts of rainfall throughout the year. It is also rich in animal and plant life. However, unlike the tropical rainforest, winter is experienced in a temperate forest. Most temperate forests are found in Canada, the eastern parts of the United States, Western Europe, and parts of China, Japan, and Russia.

The trees in a temperate forest grow to be almost 30 m or more above the ground; they also have broad leaves. The tree species found in this forest include birch, maple, and oak. Underneath them grow shrubs, ferns, mosses, ivies, and wild flowers.