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Both humans and animals depend on forests for food, shelter, and other resources. Forests once covered much of the world and are still found from the equator to the Arctic regions. A forest may vary in size from only a few acres to thousands of square miles, but generally any natural area in which trees are the dominant type of plant can be considered a forest. For a plant to be called a tree, the standard.
Definition requires that the plant must attain a mature height of at least 8 feet (about 3 meters), have a woody stem, and possess a distinct crown. Thus, size makes roses shrubs and apples trees, even though apples and roses are otherwise close botanical relatives. Foresters generally divide the forests of the world into three general categories: tropical, temperate, and boreal.
Tropical Rain Forest
The tropical rain forest is discussed in depth elsewhere.
Continue of the article: Tropical Rain Forest
Temperate Forest
The temperate forest lies between the tropical forest and the boreal, or northern, forest.
Continue of the article: Temperate Forest
Boreal Forest
The boreal forest, which lies in a band across the northern United States, Canada, northern Europe, and northern Asia, is primarily a coniferous forest.
Continue of the article: Boreal Forest
Forest Ecology and Resources
In all three types of forest a complex system of interrelationships governs the ecological well-being of the forest and its inhabitants.
Continue of the article: Forest Ecology and Resources
Threats to the Forest
The primary threat to the health of forests around the world comes from humans.
Continue of the article: Threats to the Forest
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