Temperate rain forests are the rarest type of woodlands on earth, covering just 0.02 percent of the land. Sandwiched between high mountains and the ocean in small patches of North and  South America, New Zealand, and parts of northern Europe, temperate rain forests receive more than 2.5 m (8 feet) of rain per year on average. In addition, fog can contribute significant amounts of water to the ecosystem. These lush sanctuaries of emerald green produce more living material, or biomass, per acre than any other habitat on earth.

In North America’s Pacific Northwest, home to about half of the world’s temperate rain forests, Sitka spruce and western red cedar trees grow to heights of more than 60 m (200 feet) and have an average life span of 500 to 1,000 years. Redwoods live even longer, some more than 2,000 years. These ancient forests are the sole habitats of many endangered species, including the spotted owl.

 

Spirit bear
Kermode bears are a rare subspecies of black bear that live in secluded forests on islands off the west coast of Canada. A recessive gene causes about one in 10 to be born pure white. Others can be tan or spotted with patches of black and white. Native peoples call them moksgum’ol, or spirit bears, and believe they possess great powers.

 

Lush woodlands
Tumbling waters from the White Chuck River break up the dense green blanket of ancient conifers and mossy undergrowth in Washington State’s Snoqualmie National Forest.

 

Nurse log: a giving tree
A colonnade of trees straddle a decaying log in Washington State’s Hoh rain forest. These “nurse logs” provide nutrients, open space, and plenty of light for seedlings above the undergrowth.

 

Forest giants
The largest trees in the temperate rain forest, like the sequoia, provide enough lumber to build 80 five-room houses. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, logging companies regularly harvested these giant trees.

 

Saving ancients forests
Today, most of the magnifìcent sequoias are gone, and many people are fìghting to conserve those that remain. Areas in which all the trees have been cut down may never recover the wildlife and spectacular beauty of their original state.

 

 

Native carvers
Yellow cedars from the Hoh rain forest often become totem poles under the skilled hands of Native American carvers. In years past, native carvers crafted dugout canoes from these trees that were large enough to hold 30 people.