Temperate Forests

Temperate forest in the Great Smoky Mountains (Tennessee, U.S.) Click on image for full size (206K JPG) DAAC-Oak Ridge National Laboratory / NASA

Temperate forests are found all over the world, but they are not all the same. Some forests have trees that lose their leaves in the winter. These trees are called deciduous. Other forests have trees that keep their leaves all year, like pine trees. These trees are called evergreen because they are green all year long.

Temperate forests are different than tropical rainforests. Rainforests are in areas where it is warm all year long. But temperate forests can live in areas where winters are cold. If there is enough water for trees to grow, then a forest will form. Otherwise, the land will be grassland.