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Pacific temperate rain forests

The Pacific temperate rain forests of Canada and the United States are the largest temperate rain forest zone on the planet. The Pacific temperate rain forests occur on west-facing coastal mountains along the Pacific coast of North America, from Kodiak Island in Alaska to northern California, and are part of the Nearctic ecozone. These rain forests occur in a number of ecoregions, which vary in their species composition, but all are predominantly conifers, sometimes with an understory of broadleaf trees and shrubs. Pacific Temperate rain forests can be found in the Northern Pacific coastal forests , Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia mainland coastal forests , Central Pacific coastal forests , Central and Southern Cascades forests , Klamath-Siskiyou forests , and Northern California coastal forests ecoregions. The Northern California coastal forests are home to Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis), the world's three tallest tree species.

See also: Great Bear Rainforest



07-14-2008 23:18:10
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