Deciduous Forests

INTRODUCTION
A deciduous forest, simply described is a forest that is leafless during the winter. Eury species make up this type of forest, meaning that the species can tolerate a wide range of conditions. In the extreme northern latitudes, the growing season is short causing the trees to be leafless the majority of the year. The deciduous forest is subjected to distinct weather cycles and temperature shifts. In this area of the northeast we experience four distinct seasons, and for a tree species to thrive it must adapt to the stresses corresponding to each season.
Of the three basic types of temperate broadleaf forests, (temperate deciduous forest, temperate woodlands, and temperate evergreen forest) our lab data deals with characteristics of the temperate deciduous forest. This forest type once covered large portions of Eurasia, South America, and North America. As with most native forests, they have been cleared so that the land could be used for farming or residential use. The temperate deciduous forests of North America were more diverse than the same type of forests in Europe due to glacial history. …