To learn more, join us at GLF Forests (24–25 April) and Forests, People, Planet (27 May).
Have you ever been in a temperate forest? If you’ve spent time in Europe, North America, East Asia, Australasia or the Southern Cone of South America, chances are that you have – though you might not have recognized it as such.
Temperate forests are the world’s second-largest terrestrial biome, encompassing a quarter of our planet’s total forest area.
They’re found in the ‘temperate zone’ of each hemisphere, which wraps around the Earth in between the boreal and tropical regions, spanning from 25 to 50 degrees north and south of the equator, respectively.
This forest type began to emerge 65.5 million years ago following the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction that famously killed off the dinosaurs.
At the time, the world’s climate was cooling from a hotter, wetter era. Temperate areas became progressively cooler, drier and more seasonal, and many plant lineages became extinct. Those that remained evolved new features to survive.
Our relationship with these forests runs deep. Most of the world’s population lives in temperate zones, and people have been cutting down and/or burning trees there – for timber, woodfuel, and to make space for other land uses – for a very long time.
Overall, humans have altered an estimated 99 percent of the planet’s original temperate forests in some way, whether it’s through harvesting, conversion or disruption by development.
So, what’s the current state of temperate forests, and why should you care? Read on to find out more about different types of temperate forest, their importance, the challenges they face and ways to help protect them.
Temperate forests cover a vast area and span several continents, so they don’t all look the same. There are three main types of temperate forest: deciduous, coniferous and rainforest.
Temperate deciduous forests make up almost 10 percent of the Earth’s total forest area. They’re the ones that get all the attention in autumn: they’re composed mostly of broadleaf trees that shed all their leaves in the cooler months to conserve energy and prevent water loss – think maples, oak, beech, ash, elm and willow.
These forests tend to have a moderate species richness, with only three to four tree species per square kilometer. You’ll find them mostly in places with clear seasonal variation and year-round rainfall, particularly in East Asia, North America, Europe and some parts of South America.
Their soil is usually highly fertile thanks to the regular leaf falls, which serve to increase nutrient levels and organic matter. This fertility puts them at high risk of being torn down to make room for agriculture, whilst their high-value timber is also in demand.
Temperate coniferous forests are dominated by evergreen trees with cones instead of flowers and often needle-shaped leaves, such as pines, fir, spruce, podocarps, araucaria, cedar and redwood.
They are common in coastal areas with cool summers, mild winters and heavy rainfall, and inland in montane areas. They grow mostly in the lower latitudes of North America, Europe and Asia, while in the southern hemisphere, you’ll find them in Australia, southern South America, New Zealand and New Caledonia.
Their leaves are generally hardier than those of broadleaf trees but need more energy to grow. The forest structure usually has two layers: an overstory and an understory, the latter of which usually contains a wide range of shrub and herb species.
This forest type sustains the highest levels of biomass of any terrestrial ecosystem and, as such, are critical carbon sinks.
Temperate rainforests occur in just a few small pockets across the planet:
They’re the wettest of all temperate forest types – many are also defined as cloud forests – and tend to be persistently mild and cool. Their tree species may be coniferous, deciduous or mixed, and they often have an understory of mosses, ferns, shrubs and berries.
Some of the largest trees in the world are found in temperate rainforests, including coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) in western North America and kauri (Agathis australis) in New Zealand.
All of our planet’s forests provide us with clean water and air; habitat for wildlife; carbon storage; climate regulation; water, nitrogen and carbon cycle modulation; recreational activities; and a range of forest products.
Temperate forests are no exception. They also have a number of significant attributes that set them apart from other forest types. For instance, those in the U.S. alone host some of the largest and oldest organisms in the world.
These include the tallest tree – a specimen of Sequoia sempervirens in Redwood National Park in California – as well as the oldest known living tree: a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, also in California, which is estimated to be over 5,000 years old.
Also found in temperate forests are the largest organism by area – the ‘Humongous Fungus’ (Armillaria ostoyae), which spans 9.65 square kilometers in Oregon – and the largest organism by volume: Pando, a clonal colony of quaking aspens in Utah.
Some types of temperate forest, particularly coniferous ones, have more biomass than any other forest type, making them significant carbon sinks, as well as reserves of critical soil biodiversity.
Overall, temperate forests often have lower levels of biodiversity than tropical forests, but the species they house are just as significant as any others.
The climate crisis is posing increasing risks to temperate forest ecosystems, affecting water availability and weather patterns and intensifying disturbances like insect outbreaks, wildfires and invasive species.
The geographic ranges of many temperate forest species are already shifting towards the poles and to higher altitudes as the world warms. Some, such as those that currently live high up in mountains, will become extinct as they run out of suitable places to grow.
Deforestation is a concern in some temperate forests. Temperate forests continue to serve as the world’s main source of timber and wood products, and some are still felled for urban development and agriculture.
Fortunately, unlike our planet’s tropical rainforests, which continue to see high deforestation rates, temperate forest land cover has grown since 1990. This is due to decreasing demand for fuelwood, more efficient agriculture, and approaches like selective logging, which means cutting down specific trees to minimize impacts on the overall ecosystem.
Our long and intensive relationship with temperate forests offers both challenges and advantages. While we have already altered the vast majority of temperate forests, they’re also some of the ecosystems that we understand the best.
We’ve been working on how to live alongside them for a long time, and they have the most proven potential of any forest type for effective restoration and sustainable management.
One promising solution is natural regeneration, which means simply allowing degraded and deforested temperate forests to regrow naturally, while protecting them from future harvest and harm.
It’s effective and economical, particularly in places that have experienced minimal disturbance, such as one-off logging, though it’s more difficult in areas that have been used for intensive long-term agriculture, for instance.
Regeneration rates also vary depending on the type of forest and current ecosystem dynamics, such as species presence and dispersal patterns, soil quality, biodiversity levels, drainage and topography.
It’s also critically important to conserve the remaining temperate forests with stands of very old trees. These ancient forests extremely carbon-dense, hold high levels of unique and likely much undiscovered biodiversity, and represent an important part of our biocultural heritage.
Where trees are being grown for harvest, there are numerous techniques that can be used to conserve biodiversity and mitigate carbon emissions. These include implementing wildlife corridors and networks of streamside reserves, as well as leaving some large old trees and felled logs as wildlife habitat.
You’re in luck.
GLF Forests 2025 will take place on 24 and 25 April online and in Bonn, Germany. If you’re joining us in person, you’ll find yourself in the Western European broadleaf forests ecoregion, characterized mostly by lowland and alti-montane mixed beech forests.
Notable fauna living in this ecoregion include wolves (Canis lupus), lynx (Lynx lynx) and fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra) – though you’re unlikely to see them on a trip to the former West German capital.
Then, we’ll host Forests, People, Planet on 27 May, both online and at the IMFN Global Forum 2025 in the small town of Kemptville, near the Canadian capital, Ottawa.
Here, in the Eastern Ontario Model Forest, the forest is much closer to hand. The town sits in the Mixedwood Plains Ecozone, which has the highest plant diversity in Canada and is home to half of all the country’s known endangered species.
Unfortunately, agriculture and urbanization have reduced natural forest cover to less than 10 percent. Nevertheless, some of the many interesting native species found here include American badgers (Taxidea taxus), tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera) and the spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera).
We hope you’ll join us for one or both of these events – and that you’ll keep an eye out for temperate forests and trees in the world around you: they may well be hiding in plain sight.
Finally…
…thank you for reading this story. Our mission is to make them freely accessible to everyone, no matter where they are.
We believe that lasting and impactful change starts with changing the way people think. That’s why we amplify the diverse voices the world needs to hear – from local restoration leaders to Indigenous communities and women who lead the way.
By supporting us, not only are you supporting the world’s largest knowledge-led platform devoted to sustainable and inclusive landscapes, but you’re also becoming a vital part of a global movement that’s working tirelessly to create a healthier world for us all.
Every donation counts – no matter the amount. Thank you for being a part of our mission.
