In all three types of forest a complex system of interrelationships governs the ecological well-being of the forest and its inhabitants. Trees and animals have evolved to fit into particular environmental niches. Some wildlife may need one resource provided by one species of tree in the forest during one season and a resource provided by another during a different time of year, while other animals become totally dependent on one specific tree. Whitetail deer, for example, browse on maple leaves in the summer, build reserves of fat by eating acorns in the fall, and survive the winter by eating ever greens. Deer are highly adaptable in contrast with other species, such as the Australian koala, which depends entirely on eucalyptus leaves for its nutritional needs. Just as the animals depend on the forest, the forest depends on the animals to disperse seeds and thin new growth. Certain plant seeds, in fact, will not sprout until being abraded as they pass through the digestive tracts of birds.
Humans also rely on the forest for food, fuel, shelter, and other products. Forests provide wood for fuel and construction, fibers for paper, and chemicals for thousands of products often not immediately recognized as deriving from the forest, such as plastics and textiles. In addition, through the process of transpiration, forests regulate the climate by releasing water vapor into the atmosphere while removing harmful carbon compounds. Forests play an important role in the hydrology of watersheds. Rain that falls on a forest will be slowed in its passage downhill and is often absorbed into the soil rather than running off into rivers and lakes. Thus, forests can moderate the effects of severe storms, reducing the dangers of flooding and preventing soil erosion along stream and river banks.
See also: Tropical Rain Forest
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