RainForest Destruction

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate April 2001

download word file, 6 pages 5.0

Destruction of the temperate and tropical rain forest by man will greatly change and effect the environment that the earth, animals, plants, and people live in.

The rain forest, home to hundreds and thousands of diverse plants and animal species. Imagine walking through these lush areas full of gigantic trees, colorful birds, millions of brightly hued insects. There are two different kinds of rain forests, the first one is a tropical rain forest which are located in three different main regions of the world: in Central and South America, in West and Central Africa, and in Southeast Asia.

Tropical rainforest are very wet places, receiving heavy rainfall either seasonally or throughout the year. They are close to the equator and get lots of sun light and warmth. Temperatures are consistently high between 20 and 35 degrees C. Rainforest trees are different from trees of the temperate forest. In the rain forest, trees grow to a gigantic size, supported by strong, strut like buttress at the base of the trunk that help to stabilize them in the shallow forest soils.

Also in a tropical rain forest, it consist of several layers. The top layer of vegetation consist of scattered tall trees which tower above a closed canopy layer formed by the crowns of other trees. The canopy is the best part of the rainforest, most of the flowering and fruiting of trees takes place, attracting a variety of animal species. Below the canopy is a third layer, formed by smaller trees whose crowns do not meet. Below this is a layer is composed of woody and herbaceous shrubs. Finally, there is the ground layer, which receives very little sunlight.

The other type of rain forest is a temperate forest. Temperate, meaning that they have a mild climate, and they are dominated...