Temperate deciduous forest – the forest of the past and future
The temperate deciduous forest is a forest with heat-loving, deciduous tree species and slightly acidic, nutrient-rich soil. Common tree species are elm, ash, beech, oak, hazel, linden, maple, blackthorn and sessile oak. It is the leaf fall from the trees together with the high activity from earthworms, fungi and other decomposers that contribute to the formation of the typical brown soil.
Deciduous forests are often found in calcareous and warm areas in Asia, Europe and America. In Norway, the deciduous forests grow mainly in the southern parts of the country, but in the mild coastal areas – preferably in south-facing slopes – they extend north to Trøndelag.
It it first and foremost a bustling bird life the deciduous forest is known for, with species including nesting woodpeckers, thrushes, songbirds, and tawny owls. But the deciduous forest also has a rich life of insects, fungi, mosses and lichens on dead trees, in the soil and in the living vegetation. The deciduous forest is thus said to be one of the most species-rich forests we have in Norway.
In the past, Europe was covered by large, lush decidious forests, but only a fraction of them remain to this day. With the ongoing climate change, such heat-loving and storm hardy forests become even more important.