Temperate rainforest
A forest biome with abundant precipitation throughout the year and moderate temperatures, dominated by moisture-tolerant plants in temperate regions.
Temperate climate: A climate with moderate temperatures shaped by seasonal changes and, often, distinct warm and cool periods. These forests occur where seasonal temperatures remain moderate enough for year-round moisture.
Pacific temperate rainforests: Temperate rainforests along the Pacific coast of North America, from southeastern Alaska to northern California. They form one of the largest and best-known temperate rainforest regions.
Old-growth forest: A forest with long ecological continuity and substantial structural features developed over many decades or centuries. Many temperate rainforests retain ancient trees, deadwood, and layered habitats.
Forest succession: The gradual change in a forest's species and structure after disturbance or as it develops. After windthrow, fire, or logging, succession determines how rainforest structure returns.
Orographic precipitation: Rain or snow produced when moist air rises over terrain, cools, and condenses. Coastal mountains force moist air upward, helping supply persistent rainfall.
Great Bear Rainforest: A large coastal temperate rainforest on British Columbia's central and northern coast. Its old-growth forests and salmon-bearing rivers support a distinctive coastal ecosystem.
Sustainable forestry: Forest management intended to maintain ecological, economic, and social benefits over time. Harvesting choices determine whether timber use can coexist with forest recovery.
Nurse log: A fallen tree that provides a growing surface and nutrients for seedlings and other organisms. In wet forests, decaying trunks often host the next generation of trees.
Fog drip: Water reaching the ground when fog droplets collect on vegetation and coalesce or fall. Coastal fog adds moisture during periods when rainfall is limited.
Tongass National Forest: A vast national forest in southeastern Alaska, dominated by temperate rainforest. It contains extensive old-growth forest shaped by a cool, wet maritime climate.