What role does the forest play in human life? What are the reasons for the diversity of forests?

What role does the forest play in human life? What are the reasons for the diversity of forests? What is the difference between the forests of the European part of Russia and the Siberian taiga? What are the similarities and differences between the forest zones of North America and Eurasia? Determine where the southern border of the Russian forests lies, and think about why forest vegetation is replaced by forest-steppe.

The forest is a source of natural resources: timber, pine needles, furs, berries, mushrooms. The forest is a resting place, a source of inspiration for creativity.

The distribution and diversity of forests is influenced by the climate: the presence of precipitation and the temperature regime. The forests of the European part of Russia differ from the Siberian ones in the species composition of trees. In the European part of Russia, there are dark coniferous spruce taiga, deciduous forests, mixed forests. In Siberia, a large part is occupied by light coniferous larch taiga.

Forests of Eurasia and North America are combined into the so-called northern forest belt, consisting mainly of conifers. The forest zone in Eurasia is more extensive, stretching in a wide strip from west to east. The forests of North America occupy a smaller area, stretching from northwest to southeast. The breed composition differs. For example, in North America, the tallest trees grow – sequoias.

The southern border of the forests of Russia can be drawn between 51 and 55 parallels north latitude. As the average annual air temperature increases and the amount of precipitation decreases, the forest gradually turns into a forest-steppe when moving from north to south.