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temperate rainforest
noun
variants
or less commonly temperate rain forest
plural temperate rainforests also temperate rain forests
: woodland of a usually rather mild climatic area within the temperate zone that receives heavy rainfall, usually includes numerous kinds of trees, and is distinguished from a tropical rainforest especially by the presence of a dominant tree
Examples of temperate rainforest in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The works submitted this year addressed issues such as disappearing wetlands in Iran, the loss of temperate rainforests in the UK, drought in Bolivia and Myanmar, shrinking mangroves in Vietnam, and threats to indigenous communities in Ecuador.
—Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 4 Dec. 2024
So instead, Caldwell, Honnold, and the eight-person National Geographic film crew had to chart a new route in the adjacent valley—an old-growth temperate rainforest.
—Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 8 Nov. 2024
The areas surrounding Asheville are temperate rainforests, full of streams and rivers that run alongside human communities.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
The presence of the tree fossils suggests the island was once home to a temperate rainforest — a dramatically different ecosystem from the islands’ current environment, Thomas and her collaborators reported earlier this month in the journal Antarctic Science.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 27 Sep. 2024
The temperate rainforests of western North America have the highest carbon storage potential of any forest type in the world and are recognized as some of the most valuable ecosystems on the planet.
—Ben De La Cruz, NPR, 3 Sep. 2024
This cliff-hugging home in the south-west of England is surrounded by a temperate rainforest overlooking the sea.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 22 July 2024
Juneau's landscape also offers endless variety, a temperate rainforest surrounded by beautiful mountains and glaciers.
—Catherine Garcia, theweek, 25 Mar. 2024
The ancient temperate rainforest of Yakushima, Japan, prized for its cedar trees that are well over 1,000 years old and its extraordinary biodiversity, has been spared.
—Alexis Marie Adams, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1903, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of temperate rainforest was
in 1903
Dictionary Entries Near temperate rainforest
Cite this Entry
“Temperate rainforest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/temperate%20rainforest. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
temperate rain forest
noun
: woodland that has a temperate climate with heavy rainfall and that usually includes numerous kinds of trees but differs from a tropical rain forest in having one or two very common major trees
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