Visualizing Environmental Science

include deer, bears, and many small mammals

and birds.

In Europe and North America, logging

and land clearing for farms, tree plantations,

and cities destroyed much of the original

temperate deciduous forest. Where it has re-

generated, temperate deciduous forest is of-

ten in a seminatural state that humans have

modified for recreation, livestock foraging, timber

harvest, and other uses. Many forest organisms have

successfully reestablished themselves in these return-

ing forests.

Worldwide, deciduous forests were among the first bi-

omes converted to agricultural use. In Europe and Asia,

many soils that originally supported deciduous forests

have been cultivated by traditional agricultural methods

for thousands of years without a substantial loss in fer-

tility. During the 20th century, widely adopted intensive

agricultural practices, along with overgrazing and defor-

estation, contributed to the degradation of some agri-

cultural lands. Most damage to farmland has happened

since the end of World War II.

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Hot summers and cold winters characterize
the temperate deciduous forest, which oc-
curs in temperate areas where precipitation
ranges from about 75 to 150 cm (30 to 60 in)
annually. Typically, the soil of a temperate
deciduous forest consists of a topsoil rich in
organic material and a deep, clay-rich lower layer. As or-
ganic materials decay, mineral ions are released. Ions not
absorbed by tree roots leach (filter) into the clay.
The trees of the temperate deciduous forest form a
dense canopy that overlies saplings and shrubs. Broad-
leaved hardwood trees that lose their leaves seasonally,
such as oak, hickory, and beech, dominate the temper-
ate deciduous forests of the northeastern and mideastern
United States (Figure 6.7). In the southern areas of the
temperate deciduous forest, the number of broad-leaved
evergreen trees, such as magnolia, increases.
Temperate deciduous forests originally contained a
variety of large mammals, such as puma, wolves, and bi-
son, which are now absent. Other more common animals

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The broad-leaved trees that dominate this biome are deciduous and shed their leaves before winter. Photographed in Germany Valley,
West Virginia. Climate graph shows monthly temperatures and precipitation for Nashville, Tennessee.

temperate

deciduous forest

A forest biome that

occurs in temperate

areas where annual

precipitation ranges

from about 75 cm to

150 cm (30 to 60 in).

Based on data from http://www.worldclimate.com

Average monthly precipitation in cm

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

Months

28

24

20

16

12

8

4

0

–4

Average monthly temperature in

°C

JFMAMJJASOND

Don Johnston/Alamy

Interpreting Data

What is the range of average

monthly precipitation in this

temperate deciduous forest?

How does this compare to

precipitation fluctuations in

the temperate rain forest

(facing page)?