Historical State of the Coastal Temperate Rain Forests

The definition of a Coastal Temperate Rain Forest is a coniferous biome with cool weather, dense fog, and high precipitation. I am going to be focusing on the Coastal Temperate Rain Forests of the Olympic National Forest. This forest is located on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Historically these forests were found on almost every continent. However, today only about half of these forests are still in existence, and a majority of them are found in the Pacific North West. Historical characteristics of these forests include the following:

• Average rainfall from 200 to 380 cm (80 to 152 in), cool summers, mild winters, average temperatures ranging from 4° to 12° Celsius (39° to 54° Fahrenheit), and infrequent fires.
• Dominant vegetation includes large evergreen trees like the Western Hemlock, Douglas Fir, and Sikta Spruce. These trees provide a closed canopy that blocks out about 70% of the sunlight. Additionally, tree species in this forest do not need fire for regeneration because their seeds are able to grow under shade in natural openings.
• The soil in these forests are lacking in nutrients because cool temperature slow the activity of bacterial and fungal decomposers. Furthermore, lots of needles, large fallen branches, and trunks fill the forest floor and this litter takes a long time to decay and release nutrients into the soil.
• These forests are rich in epiphytes, which are plants that grow on tree trunks and branches, usually just receiving physical support from the tree and getting nutrients from air, rain, and debris. Although some epiphytes can damage their host. Common species include mosses, lichens, and ferns.
• Common animals include squirrels, wood rats, mule deer, elk, numerous bird species, and many amphibians and reptiles

Images courtesy of: Ecotrust, "Inforain." Accessed November 20, 2011. http://www.inforain.org/index.html