ABSTRACT
Temperate forests represent one of the major biomes on Earth, covering ~14% of Earth’s terrestrial land surface[1] (Fig. 1). Along with boreal and subtropical/tropical wet and dry forests, temperate forests are one of the Earth’s dominant forest types. In comparison to other types, temperate forests are intermediate in latitude, temperature, and precipitation. By contrast, they generally exhibit much stronger seasonality, favoring those plant and animal species that were able to adapt to short-term climatic variation. Environmental stresses from seasonal change include extreme temperatures and variable access to moisture (in the form of rain and/or snow), light, and nutrients (due to the deciduous nature of some canopies). As a result, signifi cant changes in microclimates and growing conditions throughout the year are common, creating adaptive opportunities and resulting in unique structure and composition of ecosystems.[2-4]
Temperate forests are located in some of the most heavily populated and developed regions on Earth, including much of eastern North America, western and central Europe, northeastern Asia and, to a lesser extent, Australia, New Zealand, South America, and South Africa[5-7] (Fig. 1). Temperate forests are an established part of the history and culture of these regions and continue to play an important role in providing ecosystem services to human populations, including timber products, carbon storage, clean
drinking water, erosion prevention, recreation, tourism, aesthetics, property value security, and others. On the other hand, the unsustainable use of such services has led to negative consequences for temperate forest ecosystems worldwide.
