 |
Inch in a
Pinch
 "Hi,
everyone. I'm Inch in a Pinch and this is my home, the Temperate Deciduous
Forest! WOW! I think this habitat area is the greatest! I'd love to show you
around, but I have to line up a guide for next month's habitat adventure. I'm
going to put you in the very capable hands of my favorite raccoon, Racky at
Risk. He knows this place as well as I do and will do a super job! Have fun and
I'll be waiting for you when you're all finished." |
Racky at Risk
"Thanks for the compliment, Inch! I
should |
| know this habitat area. I've
lived here my whole life! This habitat area is known for its many tree species,
its abundance of wildlife and its rich fertile soil. "Did you know that the
word deciduous comes from Latin and means 'to fall down', which is exactly what
the leaves in a deciduous forest do - first they change colors, and then they
fall all over the ground. That's what sets this habitat area apart from other
forests. Right before the cold season every year, the trees lose their leaves!
As the seasons change here in the TDF, so do the colors of the trees. It's
really quite beautiful! Humans think so, too. I see them each fall, running
around in the forest with cameras, pointing them at anything that moves and
squealing with delight! Strange, very strange! Well, let's get started. Here
are some facts about this habitat area. Read through them and I'll catch up,
with you when you're done!" |
 |
| Where are
the Temperate Deciduous Forests? |
|
 |
|
| Temperate deciduous forests are
found in Europe stretching from the British Isles and France through central
and eastern Europe as far as the Ural Mountains. In East Asia these forests
cover the Russian far East, Manchuria, Korea and Japan and in North America
from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean and south to the Gulf of
Mexico. |
|
| Description |
|
 |
Deciduous forests have four
seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter caused by the position of the sun and
rotation of the Earth. |
|
|
The average yearly
temperature is at least 75 degrees Fahrenheit but can be as high as 86 degrees
Fahrenheit, depending on the forest altitude. Humidity is 60 to 80%. Deciduous
forests receive from 20 to 60 inches of precipitation each year. This
precipitation is distributed evenly throughout the year. Next to the
rainforest, the temperate deciduous forest gets the second-most amount of
rainfall per year. In winter, this is seen as snow. |
|
|
The growing season in the
TDF is approximately 6 months long. The non-growing season is due to
temperature-induced drought during the cold winters. |
|
|
 Fall Foliage |
The shortening days
of fall stimulate the plants to withdraw chlorophyll from their leaves,
allowing a brief display of other pigments before the leaves are shed and
plants enter an extended period of dormancy. |
|
|
|
The soil in the deciduous
forests is fertile, enriched with decaying litter (mostly composed of the
fallen leaves). |
|
|
There are five recognized
layers in the temperate deciduous forest:
- a tree
stratum, 60 -100 feet high, dominated regionally by various combinations of
oak, maple, beech, chestnut, hickory, elm, basswood or linden, walnut, and
sweet gum.
- a small tree
or sapling layer, with not only younger specimens of the tall trees but also
with species limited to this layer such as (in Virginia) Allegheny serviceberry
or shadbush, sourwood, dogwood, and redbud.
- a shrub layer
often with members of the heath family, such as rhododendron, azaleas, mountain
laurel, and huckleberries .
- an herb layer
of perennial forbs that bloom primarily in early spring.
- a ground layer
of lichens, clubmosses, and true mosses. Lichens and mosses also grow on the
trunks of trees.
|
|
|
| "By the way, if you have any |
 |
| questions, be sure to click
on Professor Owl. Send him an email and he'll answer as soon as he gets your
question! |
|
| |
| "There's more diversity in this habitat
area than you can imagine! Trees, I love trees! Don't you? They're great for
climbing. If you sit real still in them, no one even knows you're there!! Some
of my friends, who live here in the TDF, do just that. They use the trees to
hide in. Speaking of my friends, let's take a look at the plants and animals
that live in the temperate deciduous forest! I sure hope you like them as much
as I do! Click on the buttons below. Catch you in a
little bit!"
|
 |
  |
| "Nice folks, huh? There are some
|
| really crummy things happening to
the temperate deciduous forests on Earth. It's getting really risky to live in
this forest! In case you haven't realized it yet, that's why my name is Racky
at Risk! I think, if you know what they are, you might be willing to do
something about them. Below are listed the problems this habitat area is
experiencing. Please read through them very carefully. Take all the time you
need. I'll just sit here and wait 'til you're done!" |
|
| Threats to
the Temperate Deciduous Forests |
|
|
Air pollutants from fuels
we burn are destroying forests, killing our wildlife and poisoning the
soil. |
|
|
Millions of acres of
forests have suffered from the effects of acid rain. It damages their leaves
and causes production of smaller fruit and less seeds used in reproduction.
Even slight damage to trees can easily kill them because it reduces their
resistance to frost, fungi, and deadly diseases and pests. Examples of this
are: |
| |
- Today, American chestnuts
survive only as isolated stumps, with a few sprouts. In the early l900's, a
fungus called chestnut blight spread in the forests, leaving dying and dead
chestnut trees all over the Eastern United States.
- Dogwoods (a berry tree) are
being attacked by disease and are declining.
- Dutch elm disease wiped out
millions of trees in the US and Canada.
|
|
|
|
| Clearing land for use in
agriculture and clear cut logging have destroyed and continue to destroy
millions of trees in the deciduous forest! Only in remote, mountainous areas,
where farming and logging were impractical, are forests untouched. |
Clear Cut Logging |
|
|
|
Strip Mining in Germany |
Mining involves
stripping off the forest to get to the rock underneath. The acres and acres of
land used in mining are damaged to the extent that forests do not regrow on the
damaged and depleted soils. |
|
|
|
Global warming has definite
debilitous effects on the Earth's temperate deciduous forests. As the Earth's
temperature gradually increases, less and less precipitation falls on the
deciduous forest. Less precipitation means less growth. The ability of the
temperate deciduous forest to regenerate itself is severely
impaired. |
|
|
A long history of human
occupation of these wooded regions has reduced many forests to tiny remnants.
In parts of Western Europe, thousands of years of forest destruction have
resulted in the development of extensive areas of treeless heaths. Many areas
in deciduous forests have been under continuous cultivation since the
Neolithic. |
|
|
The introduction of
non-native plant and animal species to the deciduous forest can destroy the
balance of the forest. Introduced non-native species compete for food and
habitat often resulting in the endangerment of native species. |
|
|
Naturally occurring forest
fires are part of the overall plan for keeping a forest healthy. As human
development pushes further and further into wildlife habitat, people interfere
with this natural cycle. Homes need to be protected from fire. Measures are
taken to prevent fires and in the event that one occurs, it is extinguished
immediately. Some plant species depend on fire as a seed release mechanism.
Without fire the renewal of the forest does not take place. |
|
|
| "Did you know that the temperate deciduous
forest is the most altered of any habitat on Earth!? Everyone here in the TDF
sure could use your help! Please help us!! Read the list of things you can do
and please start doing them! Thanks!" |
|
| Things You
Can Do To Help
|
|
|
Use fewer products that
come from trees. This will result in less logging and save forests and wildlife
habitat. The high use of paper products results in increased logging. Every
Sunday, more than 500,000 trees are used to produce 88% of newspapers that are
never recycled! Recycle paper whenever possible! |
|
|
Always buy recycled paper
products when they are available! If your local stores and markets do not carry
recycled paper products, ask them to start carrying them! |
|
|
When camping, hiking or
visiting our forests, put trash in available receptacles and keep our forests
free of litter. If trash cans are not available, take your trash home with you
and dispose of it there! |
|
|
Use cloth towels for
cleaning up messes instead of paper towels. |
|
|
Use both the front and back
of a sheet of paper before throwing it away. This saves money as well as
trees! |
|
|
Plant trees! Trees planted
around your home will help shade it in the summer. This helps keep the house
cooler and lessens the need for air conditioning! |
|
|
Read books about forests;
watch programs on television about forests; and surf the web to learn about the
temperate deciduous forest. Educate others! |
|
|
The biggest contributor to
air pollution is car exhaust. Car exhaust also contributes to acid rain and
global warming. It is vital that we all drive less! Carpool whenever possible.
Walk or ride a bike! Leave your car at home as much as you can! |
|
|
Make sure you are aware of
any mining operations that are proposed for your area. Attend town meetings and
let your voice be heard in opposition for any mining operations that might harm
wildlife or wildlife habitat! Write to your government representatives and let
them know you oppose these kind of mines! |
|
|
Grow native plants in your
yards and gardens. They will withstand the changing seasons of the TDF and
provide food and cover for native insects and small animals! |
|
|
Next time you're buying
lumber, furniture, or other wood products, look for the FSC (Forest Stewardship
Council) label. It signifies that the wood came from trees grown in
well-managed, independently certified forests! |
|
|
Never release or introduce
non-native species into the area where you live. If you are unsure as to the
consequences of releasing an insect or animal or planting a flower, call a
local forestry agent and ask before you do it! |
|
|
| "Boy, there are some good ideas
in that list, |
| aren't there? You know, I spend
a lot of my time going through your garbage cans. I have a suggestion for how
you can help - cut down on how much trash you guys generate! Jeez, all I see
are fast food containers (all empty, I might add!) and paper bags! Don't eat so
much fast food! Take your own cloth bags to the grocery store or at least
re-use the bags you bring home! We really can't risk losing this habitat area!
It's where a lot of the people on Earth live! Work with me on this, okay?
Thanks!!" |
| "I'm with Racky! We really cannot afford to
lose the Temperate deciduous forest habitat or its inhabitants! I'd like to
think my kids and grandkids will always have a home! You don't have to live in
this area to help save it. Every little bit helps. Please do your part!! See
you next month. We're gonna' look at the desert habitat. While you were looking
at the deciduous forest, I managed to line up some camels for transportation!
Sounds like fun, huh? Oh, I almost forgot, Racky says he's left a forest
picture to print and color." |
|
| To learn
more about Deciduous Forests, visit the following: |
Deciduous Forest
What's It
Like Where You Live? Temperate Deciduous Forest
Canada's Forests - Deciduous
Forest |
| |
|
 Back to Habitat Awareness Main page
Go to Inch in a Pinch Homepage!
|
| |
Produced by Georgia
Lozinsky
©1999-2004. |