Forests in the world
According to the FAO, forests cover about 4 million square kilometers (or 15.1 sq mi), about 30 planets of the Earth’s land surface.
Amongst world regions, Europe accounts for one-fourth of the whole forest area, accompanied by South America and North America. South America is the continent with the highest forest cover percentage, while Asia is the continent with the lowest rate of forest cover.
Forests at various latitudes and elevations form different biomes: boreal, temperate, tropical forests. VividMaps.com published a world atlas of different forest biomes.
Map of Needleleaf forests
Needleleaf forests grow mostly in territories that have long, harsh winters. These forests spread over Canada and northern Europe.
Scarce needle-leaf forests grow in some warmer territories. For example, the Southeastern U.S. states have extensive groves of pines, such as Pinus taeda and Pinus palustris.
Evergreen broadleaf forests
Evergreen broad-leaved forests grow in the subtropical, tropical, and equatorial territories of our planet.
Deciduous broadleaf forests
Deciduous broadleaf forests are a type of temperate forest ‘dominated’ by trees that lose their leaves each year. They are growing in regions with mild, humid summers and cold winters.
Mixed forests
Mixed forests are a vegetational transition within needle leaf forests and broadleaf deciduous forests.
