VANISHING FORESTS
USA: less than 15% of original forest left
Scotland: less than 1% of original forest left
China: will run out of harvestable forest within 10 years
Canada: 50% of all virgin forest logged
Norway: 3% of original forest left
Bangladesh: over 95% of original tropical forest destroyed
Cote d' Ivoire: 80% of forest destroyed
Haiti: virtually all primary rainforest destroyed
Ecuador: 140,000 hectares lost each year
Brazilian Amazon: 36 million hectares destroyed
Source: WWF Atlas of the Environment (1992)
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Different types of forest
Our planet possesses a wide range of climatic zones.
There are "wet" tropical areas where rainfall and temperatures remain much the same throughout the year, and "dry" tropical regions, where temperatures and rainfall vary according to the season.
In temperate areas, winters are mostly cold, summers warm, and rain falls throughout the year. But in the far north, temperatures can range enormously - between - 68oC and + 38oC. Snow covers the land in winter and summers tend to be dry.
Different trees have therefore adapted to live in different parts of the world, and a variety of forest types have evolved.
Boreal
Finland
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Temperate rainforest
United States
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Temperate dry
Poland
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