West Coast Forest By: Julie Lynch
Location The west coast forest is located only on the Pacific coast of North America, such as BC, Washington state, Oregon state and California state
Vegetation/ Wildlife The west coast forest is populated mainly by trees such as: cedar, hemlock, fir, spruce, and pine trees. There are also many shrubs like huckleberry bushes, ferns, salal and devil’s club. The forest is the home of many types of wildlife, it houses bears, beavers, birds, insects, deer, racoons and many other small creatures
Climate/ Landscape The climate is mild and there is sufficient rainfall. The amount of rain helps this forest grow and flourish constantly The landscape is quite mountainous because it is located along the coast
Benefits of the forest It keeps the air cleaner and provides us with oxygen It absorbs the carbon dioxide which assists in balancing the green house effect Keeps the soil fertile and stabilized which prevents soil erosion and infertility Stabilizes water ways which means less erosion and less sediment deposited into our water
Problems arising Our population is rapidly growing putting a huge demand on the logging industry to build our homes and supply our other needs Constant logging and clear cutting disturbs the wildlife. We are taking away more and more of their habitat daily. Because of this we have to transport animals or if they come into our contact we often have them killed or tranquilized
Problems continued Cutting down the forest means less ability to fight the green house effect Forest fires are a growing concern, over the past 5 years we have had more than ever at a greater severity In 2009 there were over 2000 forest fires in BC alone which burns carbon dioxide to help global warming
How to help Volunteer to plant trees, help re-built the forest Protest again companies/ projects that plan to build on forest land don’t use pesticides or insecticides in your garden, it only harms your soil and stays in the ecosystem Drive less and walk more to keep the forest healthy
The End!