Forests, which are also called floresta, are a unique type of ecosystem characterized by the predominant presence of medium and large trees. Therefore, forests are a very important element for life on Earth since, among other things, they are the place where various animal species inhabit or live, modulate hydrological cycles, conserve the soil and, above all, generate large amounts of Oxygen, which, as we well know, is the element that should not be missing so that living beings can be on Earth. Forests cover much of the earth’s surface, although human activities or other natural factors have caused their extinction in some places.
However, forests have different characteristics, although they all have large amounts of plant species. In fact, forests are an important source of plant raw material, especially wood. Regarding their classification, forests can be divided according to their structural characteristics, the type of plant species they have or the relationship or use they have with humans or other species of living beings. That is why it is not possible to speak of a single classification but of different types that vary thanks to the perspective used for their definition.
Types of forests:
Broadleaf forests: this type of forest is characterized by being mainly made up of large and diverse plant species, which are also known as angiosperms. The best example of this type of forest, as its name indicates, is the jungle. Therefore, these types of forests are located in areas such as the Amazon (in South America), in tropical Asia or in regions of the United States and Canada, as well as central and eastern Europe.
Coniferous forests: they are a type of forest dominated by gymnosperms, that is, smaller plant species that mainly produce seeds of all kinds. Therefore, there is not as much diversity in these forests as in broadleaf forests. However, they are also complex ecosystems of great importance. This type of forest can be easily found in certain areas of Mexico and South America (Chile and Argentina, mainly), as well as in the lower areas of Europe.
Mixed forests: as the name implies, these types of forests combine characteristics of the forests
Forest types, conifers
s previously mentioned. In this way they contain large species (angiosperms) and smaller trees or plant species (gymnosperms). They are forests very rich in species, so their importance is even greater. These types of forests can be found mainly in the middle and northern regions of the United States, in southern Canada, in South America, in central Europe and Asia.
Evergreen forest: this type of forest has the main characteristic that its plant species are always green, so their leaves do not expire depending on the season or their life cycle. Thus, these forests maintain the same characteristics all the time. Some of the best examples in this regard are the forests of Mexico, mainly those of the center, of Chile and Argentina, of some areas of Spain, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and of certain regions of Asia such as China, Korea and Japan.
Deciduous forests: obviously, this type of forest has opposite characteristics to those previously mentioned. This means that in them their trees have an expiration in their leaves, being you are discarded. Therefore, the forest does not have the same characteristics all the time, so it is not permanently green. In these forests it is then possible to see how the leaves of the trees change color depending on the season or the life cycle of the plant. These forests are located mainly in regions with significant temperature changes during the different seasons. Such is the case in certain regions of the northern United States and Canada, in northern Europe and Asia, as well as certain areas of South America and Africa, especially South Africa.
Primary forests: these types of forests are those that have not been altered, in any of their characteristics, by human action. Therefore, these types of forests keep the ecosystem to which they are part intact. These are generally protected areas.
Anthropogenic forests: they are the type of forest where there has been a human activity that, in a certain sense, has transformed them. It is then about forests where some type of products or services are extracted, such as wood or used for recreational activities. In these cases the forests usually undergo a transformation that can be light or severe, depending on the action of man. The best example in this regard are the large number of parks and areas protected by the state or institutions. These types of forests function mainly as places for recreation and walks.
