PURPOSE: Develop context for the course

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FOREST REGIONS

• PURPOSE Develop context for the course
• We will examine
• 1. Where forests grow and why
• 2. Locations characteristics of forest regions

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BARRIERS TO TREE GROWTH

• Annual precipitation lt 300 mm (12)
• No soil
• Soil permanently frozen
• Animal or human activities

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GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF TREES

• Most important single controlling factor total
  annual precipitation
• AVAILABLE water
• Results from combination of factors
• More important than total annual precipitation

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AVAILABLE WATER

• Depends directly on
• Total precipitation
• Temperature
• Wind movement
• Soil properties
• Vegetative competition

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AVAILABLE WATER

• Depends indirectly on
• Latitude (affects temperature)
• Elevation (affects temperature precipitation)
• Presence/absence of nearby water bodies (affects
  seasonal temperature extremes)
• Slope steepness (affects wind strength soil)
• Slope aspect (affects temperature)

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FOREST CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS

• 1. Commercial vs. noncommercial
• 2. Forests vs. woodlands
• 3. Forest cover types
• 4. Forest regions

All images with a UGA ID code like this are
from http//www.forestryimages.org
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NORTH AMERICAN FOREST REGIONS

• Northern Coniferous Forest (Boreal Forest, Taiga)
• Largest forest region (in area) in North America
• Few species
• Uses
• Furs (historically)
• Pulpwood (for paper)
• Recreation
• Water supply

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NORTH AMERICAN FOREST REGIONS

• Northern Hardwoods
• Principal boreal species plus more
• Uses
• White pine (historically)
• Recreation
• Water supply

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NORTH AMERICAN FOREST REGIONS

• Pacific Coast Forests
• High precipitation, moderate temperatures
• Dense, tall forests near coast (redwoods)
• Conifers predominate
• Economically important (Douglas-fir)
• High wood production rate
• Cheap transportation
• Hydroelectric power, irrigation projects
• Fisheries, recreation, wildlife, scenic amenities

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NORTH AMERICAN FOREST REGIONS

• Rocky Mountain Forests
• Forest cover is often patchy
• Individual stands can be dense
• Conifers predominate, many pine species
• Water resources most important

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NORTH AMERICAN FOREST REGIONS

• Central Broad-Leaved Forests (Mixed Mesophytic
  Forest)
• Largest forest region (in area) in U.S.
• Extensively modified by humans
• gt100 tree species, many forest cover types
• Ownerships small ( 25 acre avg. in Kentucky)
• Oaks most important (many species, valuable)
• Furniture industry, wood pallets
• Increasingly important for water, wildlife
  habitat, recreation

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NORTH AMERICAN FOREST REGIONS

• Southern Oak-Pine Forests
• Major species shift since European invasion
• 1. Clearing of pine-hardwood forests for row
  crops
• 2. Farm abandonment ? pine establishment
• 3. Invasion by oaks and other hardwoods
• 4. Harvest of old-field stands
• 5. Large-scale planting of pines, especially
  loblolly pine monoculture
• Most intensively managed forests in North
  America, primarily for pulp paper

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NORTH AMERICAN FOREST REGIONS

• Bottomland Hardwoods Forests
• Occur in swamps floodplains
• Mostly hardwoods
• Uses
• Furniture, paneling, wildlife
• Cottonwood sycamore plantations for pulpwood
  (lt10 years to maturity!)

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NORTH AMERICAN FOREST REGIONS

• Tropical Forests
• Many tree and other species (including wildlife)
• In Mexico . . .
• Pines lumber, pulpwood
• Oaks charcoal for cooking fuel
• Water most important resource

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WORLD FOREST REGIONS

• Several regions have ecological equivalents in
  North America
• Same or ecologically similar genera
• BUT different species
• Some regions have no ecological equivalent in
  North America

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WORLD FOREST REGIONS

• Northern Coniferous Forest
• More species in Eurasia than in N. America
• Largest coniferous forest region (in area)
• Scotch (Scots) pine (Pinus sylvestris)
• Worlds most widely distributed pine
• Ecological equivalents in North America
• Jack pine (Pinus banksiana)
• Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta)

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SCOTCH PINE, EURASIA
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LODGEPOLE PINE, NORTH AMERICA
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WORLD FOREST REGIONS

• Pacific Coniferous Forest
• Small in area
• Many genera in common with western North America
• Currently found in higher elevations than in
  western North America (due to agricultural
  pressures)

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WORLD FOREST REGIONS

• Central Broad-Leaved Forest
• Similar to that of eastern N. America
• Fewer species in western European portion
• Many species in eastern Asian portion

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WORLD FOREST REGIONS

• Southern Mixed Forest
• Mediterranean climates
• Available soil moisture limiting
• ? Forests at high elevations
• ? Woodlands at intermediate elevations
• ? Chaparral at low elevations

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WORLD FOREST REGIONS

• Tropical Rainforest
• Treemendous biodiversity (4000? tree species in
  Amazonia)
• Multi-layered forest
• Most productive terrestrial ecosystem
• Four barriers to industrial forestry
• 1. Soil nutrient problems
• 2. Important for worldwide climate?
• 3. Species extinctions
• 4. Public outcry

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WORLD FOREST REGIONS

• Drought-Deciduous Forest
• Near tropical rainforests
• Occur where wet/dry seasons alternate (monsoon)
• Teak and bamboo

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WORLD FOREST REGIONS

• Mangrove Forest
• Swamp forest
• Coastal saltwater areas

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WORLD FOREST REGIONS

• Temperate Rainforest
• Precipitation abundant year-round
• Gymnosperms southern beech
• Forestry not focused on native species
• Plantations of
• Monterey pine
• Douglas-fir
• Southern pines (loblolly, slash, Caribbean
  pines)

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GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTIONS OF FOREST REGIONS

• Geographic distributions not constant!
• Never have been!
• Never will be!