Temperate Forests of North and South America

Temperate regions of the world sustain forests comparable in extension and biomass to that of tropical forests. Although they are less speciose than tropical forests, temperate forests harbor notable numbers of endemics, especially in remote and isolated regions of the southern hemisphere (Armesto et al. 1996a; Arroyo et al. 1996). They also contain some of the oldest living organ-isms on Earth. Some living conifers in temperate forests are frequently older than 1000 years, and species such as Fitzroya cupressoides live for 3000 years or more (Lara and Villalba 1993; Hill and Enright 1995). These long-lived temperate trees provide an invaluable and irreplaceable record of climatic changes during the last millenium. In addition, temperate forests are currently the major source of timber and related wood products worldwide. Thus, their long-term sustainability is of utmost economic importance, both regionally and globally.