The Rain Forest

Kimberly Henson

What is a Rain Forest?

A rain forest is a very dense forest in a region, usually tropical, where rain is very heavy throughout the year.

There are four layers in a rain forest they are: Emergent Layer, Canopy Layer, Understory, and Forest Floor.

The Four Layers

EMERGENT LAYER

THE CANNOPY

THE UNERSTORY

THE FOREST FLOOR

Four Layers- First Layer

1. Emergent- the tallest tress scattered throughout the rain forest are called emergents. There are usually one or two of these trees per acre in the forest. Most emergents have small leaves and slender trunks. Many birds such as the toucan and macaw take refuge on the tops of these trees.

Second Layer

2. The canopy- forms a continuous green roof over the forest below. This layer gets the most rainfall. In the canopy, there is abundant food and sunlight for thousands of animals and plants.

Third Layer

3. The Understory- consists of shrubs, young trees, palms, and woody plants that grow in the shade of the taller trees in the next layer.

Fourth Layer

4. The Forest Floor- the floor is a fairly open area, carpeted with moss and decaying leaves. This layer of the rain forest is dark and humid and incredibly green.

LocationsThe rain forests are found close to the equator in parts of South America, Central America, Southeast Asia, and Africa.The largest tropical rain forest is the Amazon rain forest.

Weather

A tropical rain forest gets at least 100 inches of rain a year.

Tropical rain forests are very warm and very wet.

They provide homes for many different plants and animals.

Animals

Tropical rain forests are home to anteaters, frogs, flying squirrels, monkeys, snakes, and many, many insects and birds.

PeopleNot only do millions of species of plants and animals live in rainforests, but many people also call the rain forest their homeIndigenous, or native, people have lived in rainforests for thousands of years

Deforestation of the Rain Forest

Means destroying a forest by cutting down or burning the trees

Deforestation destroys the plants and trees that provide food and homes for many animals

Deforestation Continued

It also affects the air that we breathe because trees produce much of our oxygen

Today, many of these forests are no longer standing

People destroyed them to clear the land for farms and cities

Interesting Facts About Rainforests

In 1950, 15% of the earth’s surface was covered by rainforestsIn 2000, 7% is still remaining1 in every 4 medicines contains compounds that were originally derived from rain forest speciesOnly 1-2% of light at the top of a rain forest canopy manages to reach the floor below90 acres of tropical rain forest are destroyed every minute throughout the year

Useful WebsitesThe following are useful websites having to do with rainforests:http://www.ran.org/http://www.rainforestweb.org/http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/http://www.forests.org/http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htmhttp://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/children/chlinks.htm