PLANET EARTH Seasonal Forests

The Sun's energy powers these seasonal forests not for one month as it does in the Taiga but for half the year. These conifers grow at ten times the rate of those near the Arctic and they live for thousands of years. One grove of redwoods in California contains three of the tallest trees on Earth. This one is over a hundred meters high, the size of a thirty story building.



These seasonal forests were growing here long before humans walked the Earth. They were in their prime twenty million years ago and existed before the Swiss Alps or the Rocky Mountains（落基山脉） were even raised. There is more living matter in a seasonal forest of giant conifers, than in any tropical rainforest but it's all contained within the trees. These are as inedible as those in the Taiga so animals are still scarce, but they are present.



A pine marten. It's spring, the best time of year for a marten to find food. Bird's eggs are a seasonal snack and for a short time, there's plenty of them, sometimes perhaps, too many. But to live here permanently, the marten needs a more reliable food source. Squirrels fit the bill. They thrive here on the pine cones and although these are also seasonal, they can be stored and eaten throughout the year.