Learning the difference between the coniferous forest and the evergreen forest happens early on in life. Knowing that certain trees have their leaves change color and lose them only for them to grow back the next spring is often considered pretty cool. Here are some of the interesting facts that may not always be known.
1. Mmm… Smells Nice
One of the common trees found in the coniferous forest is the Aspen tree. Their leaves shimmer golden yellow when Autumn comes along. What many people don’t know about this tree is that it produces a white powder that makes a very effective deodorant.
2. To the Extreme
The coniferous forest is typically a biome that experiences great extremes in the seasons. The summers are very hot, muggy, and short while the winters are very cold and snowy. There are some exceptions to this, most notably in the US Pacific Northwest. With the amount of rain this area typically receives, the coniferous forests actually belong to the rain forest biome instead. There can be years where trees see several inches of trunk growth because they received over 300 days of rain.
3. You Must Unlearn what You Have Learned
Coniferous trees do lose their leaves, but evergreen trees are also part of this biome. They’re actually the foundation of it. The term “coniferous” actually means “from the cone.” What trees produce pine cones? It isn’t a maple tree, that’s for sure. The cones help to spread life throughout the biome and are even a good food source for wildlife.
4. Mostly Uninhabited
What makes the coniferous forest unique is the fact that this biome is mostly uninhabited by urban centers. The two largest cities in the biome are Moscow and Toronto. This makes it the biome with the lowest overall population density on a global scale. There are several places in this biome that don’t have any human activity at all.
It can get to be very cold in the coniferous forest. Some areas can remain below freezing temperatures for up to half of the year. Despite this fact, life thrives in this biome if it is allowed to grow on its own. That is what makes the coniferous forest such a unique part of our planet.
