Transcript fall

By
Damarius Dajnowicz & Alexia Fox
Fall 2009
 Temperate
 Taiga
As we stare into our backyard, we see a fence of trees
holding us back from all of the possible journeys that await
us right in our own biome – the temperate biome, also
known as the deciduous forest. Behind those trees is a
world of wonder, larger than our imagination. The trees
wave to us as they blow in the wind, squirrels scurry from
tree to tree. As we stare, we don’t know that beyond those
trees other life is moving about in its natural habitat too. As
explorers, we finished packing what we need and we begin
on our adventure in the temperate forest.
The temperate forests are made up of mainly two kinds of trees:
deciduous and evergreen trees. Deciduous means “fall” and that is
why deciduous trees have leaves that fall off of them. Evergreen trees
have needles rather than leaves which are always green.
The temperate forest is made up of five zones. They include:
1. the tree stratum – made up of trees, such as oak, maple, chestnut,
hickory & elm
2. small trees and saplings – first develop here
3. shrubs – rhododendron, azoles, mountain laurel and huckleberry
4. herbal zone – contains herbs
5. ground zone – contains moss
If you live in the temperate forest, be prepared for
unexpected temperatures. For example, one day the
temperature can be 70° F, but the next day it can be
50° F. In the summer, the temperature can get as high
as 93°F, which is very hot for us, but in the winter it can
get as cold as 20°F. The temperate forest has
precipitation such as rain, freezing rain, snow, sleet,
and hail. In spring, summer and fall precipitation in the
temperate forest is rain, but in the winter, it can snow,
sleet, and hail.
So in packing for our adventure, we are bringing a
variety of clothing to accommodate both cold and
warm and hot temperatures.
There is a wide variety of food you can eat in the
temperate forest, but you should be careful and make
sure you know what is edible. If there are any beech
trees near by you can eat the nuts and/or the nuts can
be used as a coffee substitute. If there is an oak tree
nearby you can eat the acorns or make it into a mash.
The acorns can also be used as a coffee substitute.
The inner bark of poplar is edible. You can eat it fresh
or have it brewed into tea or cooked into noodles. If
there is sweet birch you can eat the buds and twigs.
You can also make a drink from sweet birch. The sweet
birch contains sap. You can either drink the sap hot or
cold.
It is challenging for us exploring in the temperate forest because the
temperature can be unpredictable. One reason we say this is
because in the winter plants can’t grow so we do not have anything
to eat other than buds, twigs, and inner bark. Difficulty surviving in
the temperate forest is very hard unless we have the proper gear
such as: waterproof matches, warm clothing, food, water, seeds, and
at least an insulated tent. In the summer time it is not as difficult to
survive because plants grow and ripen. In the spring it is easy to
survive also because we plant seeds and when they grow we have
delicious food. In the fall it isn’t as easy to survive in the temperate
forest because it is too cold for plants to grow and the ones from the
summer are dying out. We like to explore in the temperate forest in
the summer. The climate is perfect for living in the forest in our tent.
And we can find food to harvest.
A good shelter in the temperate forest would be a tent.
This is what we use and it protects us from all the
weather elements. A tent is easy to put up. When we
pitch our tent we place the tent in a flat spot that has no
roots sticking out or any rocks. If there are any rocks or
roots it will rip our tent creating holes in the tent
making sleeping cold, wet and uncomfortable for us. In
order to pitch the tent we bring hammers to pound in the
stakes. We always bring extra stakes just in case the
ones we have get lost or broken.
Temperate Forest
Your trees tall and alive
With squirrels and birds deep inside
Sun shines down on top of your leaves
Then slides down onto your moist dirt ground
This supplies nutrients for all the plants that inhabit you
Spring brings beauty in the flowers that bloom
In fall the leaves float down to the forest floor
Winter brings frosty precipitation
Covering your beauty in a blanket of snow.