Environment: Content from Across the ABC


Date/Time 07 May 2015 2:12:23am

I think the author meant to use the words "temperate forest", not "temperate rainforest".

"Temperate forest" is a generic term for forests found in the temperate zones, between the Equator and the Poles. Temperate forests have moderate to high rainfall and four distinct seasons with distinct plant life in each season.

Temperate forests CAN be rainforest, but they they can also be deciduous forests (in the Northern Hemisphere), and forest adapted to different ecological niches, e.g. dry sclerophyll forest, grassy woodlands, coastal woodland, mountain forest etc.

East Gippsland has all of the above (except deciduous), and is thus truly diverse with stands of coastal banksia, ancient rainforest, mountain forests near the snowfields, and more. It may or may not be THE most diverse temperate forest on earth, but it is certainly up there with the best.