T2.3 - Oceanic cool temperate rainforests

Cool temperate evergreen forest, Hwequehwe, Chile

© David Keith

Description

Oceanic cool temperate rainforests have evergreen or semi-deciduous, small-leaved trees, with conifers in some regions. These forests occupy a cooler, wetter climate than warm temperate forests (T2.4), but ocean influence promotes very high precipitation and limits persistence of winter snow (compared with T2.1 or T2.2). Tree diversity is low, but abundant epiphytic and terrestrial mosses and liverworts, ferns, lichens, and conspicuous fungi contribute to seasonal productivity. Foodwebs are simple, with low vertebrate diversity and fewer large herbivores and predators than T2.1 and T2.2, but with many species found nowhere else.

SourceLicenceCoverage
Bioclimatic and vegetational synopsis of Chile (2022 extent map)Original license CC BY NC68.9%
U.S. National Vegetation Classification MacrogroupsCC BY 4.030.98%
Vegetation Formations and Classes of NSW (version 3.03 - 200m Raster)Creative Commons Attribution 4.00.13%