ABSTRACT
The climate of the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests is decidedly seasonal with warm and cool seasons and sometimes a distinct dry season. Temperate broadleaf forests dominate the natural vegetation of New Zealand and are found in the southern cone of South America, southeastern Australia and Tasmania, southern China, Korea, Japan, mid-elevations of the Himalayas, eastern North America and northern Europe. Temperate deciduous forests are a subgroup of temperate broadleaf forests distinguished by their shedding of leaves in the autumn. Temperate broadleaf forests have been exploited for timber and charcoal, and their inherent high productivity targeted them for clearing for agriculture and pasture. Clearing temperate broadleaf forests for agriculture and pasture have occurred throughout the biome, at different rates and times. Global climate change will increase the need for restoration of temperate broadleaf forests. Climate change may degrade plants directly through increased weather variability and extreme events.
