Forest Ecosystems

Chapter B1

Forests
A forest is an area in which the main plants that grow there are trees.

Deciduous forests Tropical rain forests

Coastal forests

Coniferous forests

Deciduous Forest

Large, flat leaves that drop off in the Fall, new leaves grow in Spring. Leaves change color with the seasons. These trees grow in places that have warm, wet summers and cold winters.

Winter

Tropical Rain Forest

Canopy
Understory

These trees grow in places that are hot and wet all year. Trees are very tall and the leaves are always green. The forest has three layers.

Forest floor

Coastal Forest

Grows in places where there is lots of rain. Temperature is not too hot or too cold, just cool. Has three layers just like the rain forest: canopy, understory, forest floor.

Coniferous Forest

Grows in places with very cold winters and cool summers. The leaves look like needles so they dont need very much water. Seeds grow in cones. Get less rain than all the other forests.

Seed cone