The temperate rainforest.
Where is the temperate rainforest located?
The temperate rainforest is mainly located in cool temperate climate zones between 40° and 60° northern and southern latitude. Some of the best known regions with temperate rainforest are the west coast of North America from California to Alaska, the southern coastal regions of Chile, parts of New Zealand and Tasmania and some areas in Japan and Europe.
What is the temperate rainforest?
The temperate rainforest is a unique forest ecosystem. Due to its geographical location, it is not as hot as in the tropics, and you can find different animal and plant species. With its year-round humid climate, the temperature ranges between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius and it has an annual rainfall of up to 5,000 mm per year, it is also a typical rainforest that offers optimal living conditions.
How do temperate rainforests develop?
Rainforests develop in a climate that is humid all year round and have particularly high levels of precipitation. Almost all temperate rainforests are located on the western side of high mountain ranges, including the temperate rainforest of Western Canada. There, sea winds transport moist air masses, which rise over the Pacific Ocean, towards the coastal mountain ranges. As the air reaches the mountains, it is forced to rise. During this ascent, it cools, and the moisture condenses. Once the air reaches a certain height, it can no longer rise, causing the clouds to release their moisture as rain. often exceeding 2,000 mm per year. Additionally, due to the proximity to the coast, both summers and winters remain mild, reducing the overall evaporation of rainfall. The heavy rain and low evaporation, combined with frequent fog, create a perpetually moist climate.
What makes it so special?
1. Huge, ancient trees
Due to the mild, moist climate and low human impact, evergreen tree giants can grow for up to 2,000 years. These include the western red cedar, Sitka spruce, and Douglas fir. Some trees reach heights of over 100 meters. They make up the majority of the total biomass, which can reach up to 1,000 tons per hectare – even surpassing tropical forests.
How can the trees grow so big and old?
Mild climate
The Pacific Ocean with its gigantic masses of water acts as a heat reservoir. Particularly in the winter months, the water releases a lot of heat energy, which leads to mild and short winters. Due to this balanced climate, the growing season is long, and frost is less prevalent compared to other regions. Plant parts that die and fall to the ground are converted into new nutrients in biochemical decomposition processes.
Lichens
In the treetops, epiphytic plants such as mosses and ferns thrive. Due to the excellent air quality and high humidity, many lichens, including beard, crust, and lung lichens, also settle in temperate primary rainforests. Lichens are a symbiosis between a fungus and an alga: the fungus provides the structure, while the alga carries out photosynthesis. During storms, the lichens are blown down and fall to the forest floor, where they release their nutrients.
Sufficient water
In addition, the Pacific winds bring an immense amount of water into the forest, which can be stored in the thick layer of moss and in the forest floor. Thanks to this optimal supply of nutrients and water, countless other plants, such as lichens, mosses, and fungi, grow alongside the trees, and eventually die off. This creates an ongoing cycle in which every species contributes to maintaining a healthy and balanced ecosystem.
Tree habitat
Eagle's nest
The bald eagle not only lands on the tallest trees, but it also builds the heaviest nests (or "aeries") of any bird species. Often referred to as a "master builder," it returns to its permanent residence year after year. These nests can eventually weigh up to a ton.
Northern flying squirrel
In the upper branches of the trees, the northern flying squirrel primairly eats fungi but also collects nuts, lichens, and berries.
Ring spinner
The ringlet moth is a moth. The female lays up to 300 eggs on a branch. The caterpillars hatching caterpillars spin a tent-like nest, from which they forage together.
Huckleberry
Huckleberries are high in Vitamin C and are a valuable food source for both humans and animals. In fact, huckleberries are a key food, medicinal and cultural plant for many First Nations.
North Pacific tree frog
Like most amphibian species, frogs also have excellent have excellent adhesion and climbing abilities. Using the adhesive forces of their moist belly skin and the undersides of their limbs, they attach themselves to tree bark.
Licorice fern
Compared to a 6% sucrose solution, the rhizomes of the licorice fern is about 600 times sweeter, with a licorice-like aftertaste.
Old man's beard
"Old Man's Beard" (a type of lichen) grows longer and longer over decades in the moist, clean air. They give the trees their fabulous green robe.
Cougar
A cougar, also known as a mountain lion, is highly agile and powerful. It can leap up to 5.5 meters into a tree from the ground. Far up in the branches, it hides – you only see it if it wants to be seen.
Leaf lichens
Lichens are combinations of a fungus species and an alga species. Neither the fungus nor the alga is viable on its own; they have formed an inseparable bond within the lichen, creating a new, independent organism. Additionally, bacterial colonies live on the lichen and bind nitrogen from the air, which the fungus in turn absorbs and uses within the lichen body.
The leaf lichen, like its larger relative, the beard lichen, absorbs carbon. When the lichens growing on trees become too large and heavy, they fall to the ground and decompose, releasing nutrients that, in turn, support the tree's growth.
Woodpecker cave
The nesting cavity is created by woodpeckers to lay their eggs and raise their young. Once the woodpeckers have left, it is often used as a nesting site or shelter by many other animals.
Small animals and insects
Countless animal species find their habitat in the temperate rainforest: salamanders, frogs and snails enjoy the thick, moist moss cushions; butterflies and beetles find their food in flowers, leaves, fruit and decaying wood. Together, they form an essential part of the continuous exchange within the ecosystem, powered by solar energy.
Blueberry bushes
The delicate Alaskan blueberry has a high antioxidant content. of antioxidants. It is not only the largest of its species, it is also effective against cancer.
Great horned owl
The great horned owl is one of the largest owls in the temperate rainforest. For nesting, it seeks out abandoned nests of other birds or uses tree cavities. It prefers to stay in the dense, shady tree canopy when it's not out hunting for mice.
Chipmunk
The "Townsend's Chipmunk" grows up to 31 cm tall and is therefore a a particularly large chipmunk. It likes to sunbathe on trees. Unlike our squirrels it lives in a burrow.
Moss mats
The moss mats grow very slowly and indicate that the tree is already very old. They provide habitat for many small organisms and plants, such as the licorice fern. The temperate rainforest is home to over 600 species of mosses, and for many First Nations, moss has various cultural and medicinal uses, for instance to treat wounds (haemostatic effects) and stuff pillows.
Banana slug
Up to an impressive 20 cm long, it is a predator that enjoys feeding on other slugs and their eggs.
Evening grosbeak
They are usually found in flocks, constantly calling to maintain contact with each other. When the seeds of the maple are ripe, they provide a reliable harvest.
Thimbleberry
The edible fruits taste wonderfully of cinnamon and raspberries raspberries, and besides being used as food by the First Nations of the Pacific coast, they are also used as a remedy for coughs, diarrhea and birth pains.
Zoom into the graphic for more details.
The long journey of the salmon
The fascinating journey of salmon in the rainforests of western Canada, their central role in a delicate ecosystem that includes bears and orcas, and the threat to this cycle posed by human interference are highlighted.
How the cycle works
Salmon are born in forest streams
One fifth of the world's salmon stocks originate in the streams and rivers of Western Canada's temperate rainforest! Here begins and ends one of the most important cycles that sustain the West Coast. This is where the salmon are born, and from here, they migrate to the sea.
The rainforest plays an important role in keeping the salmon streams healthy and cool. The roots hold the banks together, the trees shade the water and their bark, leaves and needles provide important nutrients.
The salmon migrate into the sea and are food for marine mammals
Salmon are an important food source in the sea. Resident (fish-eating) orcas, for example, rely on salmon as their main diet, particularly Chinook salmon, which are especially sensitive to changes in the ecosystem of their birthstreams.
The salmon migrate back to their natal streams and are food for mammals and birds
After two years in the ocean, millions of salmon begin their arduous upstream journey back from the sea. They return to the very place where they were born to spawn. At the riverbanks, grizzly bears are already waiting to catch the fish, as they rely on the fatty reserves to sustain them through hibernation. Coastal wolves, ravens, and eagles also love the nutritious salmon. They sometimes carry the fish into the forest to eat them in peace. And because food is abundant, the bears, wolves, and eagles typically choose only the finest parts of the fish, leaving plenty of leftovers behind.
Important nutrients for trees
The remaining salmon carcasses decompose, breaking down into their chemical components. In this process, the soil is enriched each year with essential nutrients, primarily nitrogen, by the animals. Scientists have even found nitrogen compounds of marine origin in the highest treetops, demonstrating the far-reaching impact of this nutrient cycle.
A sensitive cycle
If even a single "salmon run" is disrupted by deforestation, resulting in sedimentation and rising river temperatures, or disturbed by the fishing industry, the natural cycle is interrupted. This directly affects the salmon's predators, such as bears, wolves, eagles, and orcas. Without salmon, they lack sufficient food. And when they no longer bring salmon into the forest, important nutrients for plant growth are also missing. The forest and its rivers, in turn, are the habitat for both the salmon and its predators. Deforestation disrupts the entire cycle.
2. Biodiversity
The wolf's den and the tree
1 - Why do trees die?
The trees in our protected areas can live for over a thousand years! However, even they don't live forever. After centuries of growth, they sometimes struggle to defend themselves against diseases, pests, and storms. Additionally, they find it increasingly difficult to adapt to environmental changes and compete with younger trees.
2 - An old giant tree falls over
If the tree is no longer strong enough, it falls over. This can happen due to a storm or lightning strike, or because a bark beetle has interrupted its nutrient transport.
3 - Deadwood or nurse tree?
Now, the tree lies as deadwood in the forest. Yet it is full of life! It is particularly important for biodiversity, as it provides habitat and food for insects and birds. Additionally, as it decomposes, fungi and bacteria release essential nutrients. This creates perfect conditions for the growth of new, young tree saplings on the dead tree, turning it into a "nurse tree."
4 - The next generation
In its elevated position and thanks to the abundant nutrients of the old tree, the young tree grows over the next hundred years, reaching great heights. Its roots completely envelop the nurse tree. The old trunk gradually breaks down, turning into light, loose earth, piece by piece, as it is consumed by the young tree's roots.
5 - The wolves are coming
For the birth of their young, female wolves seek out a den, which is often located beneath the roots of mighty, centuries-old trees. The wolf mother can dig a den in the loose soil between the roots of the old tree, where, sheltered by its presence, she can give birth to and raise her pups.
6 - Nursery
This process occurs only in forests that have been undisturbed. Therefore, wolves rely on old-growth forests for their nurseries and the future of their species. The wolf dens are typically located within the wolf's territory, often in an elevated spot with a good view and easy access to water and prey.
Protect forest now
We have to start stopping.
Everyone knows about the value of and threat to the Amazon forests. But hardly anyone talks about the forgotten ecosystem of British Columbia: it is home to the last large large contiguous area of temperate rainforest in the world. world. And yet British Columbia, of all places, is one of the of the last jurisdictions in the world that continues to large-scale deforestation of 600 to 1,800-year-old rainforest giants. old primeval forest giants.
Between 2003 -2010, deforestation in BC was responsible for a higher annual CO2-emissions than Finland as a whole. The main causes are the timber industry, agriculture and the construction of infrastructure.
Why WI protects forests in Canada
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Are there any primeval forests left?
70% of Canada is made up of large natural areas. 34% of the of the country is covered by forest, 53% of which is old-growth forest. In total, Canada is home to 20% of the world's remaining wilderness areas.
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Are the existing habitats important for the conservation of biodiversity?
The temperate rainforest is considered the most species-rich ecosystem in the temperate climate zone. Its primeval forests are home to a unique diversity of species and giant giant trees that are thousands of years old. Rare ghost flowers are at home here, as are bears, wolves and eagles.
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Is the ecosystem relevant for a healthy climate?
The forests in our protected areas are absolute masters of CO2-storage and one of the most important "sinks" in the earth's carbon cycle. They also make an important contribution to cooling and purification of the air and to water storage.
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Property rights: Can we buy land with legal certainty and protect it in the long term?
Canada is a constitutional state with strict regulations on property relations. This makes arbitrary expropriation impossible. Damage entails comprehensive sanctions. The British Columbia Trespass Act clearly prohibits trespassing on private land. Violations are prosecuted in court.
