In a mixed forest, trees with broad leaves and trees with needle-like leaves are combined,
A mixed forest is an area where leafy trees with broad leaves and trees with needle-like leaves, such as conifers, are combined . They generally exist in regions with a temperate climate and represent a transition zone between temperate deciduous forests and coniferous forests .
It should be noted that a forest is a place that has a large number of plants and trees. Mixed , on the other hand, is something made up of various elements.
The etymology
Before entering fully into establishing the meaning of the concept, it is necessary to know the etymological origin of the two words that give it shape:
- Forest has its origins in the Germanic busk , which can be translated as "bush."
- Mixed is a word that comes from the Latin mixtus .
With these ideas clear, we can understand what the concept of mixed forest refers to. These are those forests that are made up of a balanced amount of gymnosperms and angiosperms . This means that, in mixed forests, neither of the two types of plants predominates.
It is possible to find mixed forests in different parts of the world.
Examples of mixed forests
On the American continent we can find numerous mixed forests. In the Great Lakes region of North America , mixed forests consist of deciduous trees such as maple and beech and conifers such as pine and thuja. Fir, maple and other trees are also found in the Appalachians .
Europe , for its part, is home to mixed forests with spruce, fir, birch, beech and other species . The Balkan mixed forest , Cantabrian mixed forest , Caucasian mixed forest and Atlantic mixed forest are some of these forests.
The aforementioned Cantabrian mixed forest occupies more than 79,000 hectares and has a large number of pines, eucalyptus and oaks , among others. Regarding fauna, we have to highlight the existence of the wolf and the brown bear.
In the case of the southern hemisphere, we have to state that mixed forest can only be found in what is southern Chile .
It is interesting to mention that mixed forests, in winter, present a particularity: conifers, being evergreen, maintain their foliage, while deciduous forests lose their leaves. Thus, in the same forest, it is possible to find green trees and others that display their bare branches .
An ecoregion in critical condition
In addition to all the above, we cannot ignore the existence of the Sarmatic mixed forest . It is an ecoregion that has the particularity of being considered the limit of the temperate forests of the European continent at the northern level.
It has just over 845,000 square kilometers and its territory covers areas of countries such as Russia, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Belarus, Latvia and Lithuania . In this mixed forest there are plant species such as Scots pine and sessile oak.
Currently, this Sarmatic mixed forest is considered to be in serious danger, in critical condition .