Finland is the most wooded country in Europe. 86% of the area is forested. The forest type “boreal coniferous forest” is the most dominant forest type there. This is mainly due to Finland’s climate, which is called “cold temperate”. The annual average temperature is about 2°C. In winter the temperatures are often well below freezing because the sun only shines for a short time. The growing season is therefore short and the trees are growing slowly.There are just a few tree species. Most of the trees are coniferous species like the pine and spruce. The most common deciduous tree specie is the birch.
In Germany the area of forest is just about 30%, because large areas were grubbed for agriculture a long time ago. Naturally in the flatland and in the hillland there are mainly deciduous forests. The climate in Germany is predominantly “warm temperate” and the annual average temperature is about 10°C. That’s obviously higher than in Finland. The growing season is therefore long and the trees are growing fast. In Finland there are lots of tree species. In contrast to Finland, deciduous tree species arewidespread: the common beech, the sessile oak, the mountain maple, the Norway maple, the field maple, the hornbeam, the large-leaved linden, littleleaf linden, ash and others. Only in the higher mountains do coniferous species grow extensively in Germany. This is because it is similarly cold there as in Finland.
In cold climates, coniferous species have an advantage over deciduous species: the needle-like leaves have a thick wax layer so they are protected against frost. In winter, a lot of sugar is also formed in the leaf juice, which also protects against frost. The leaves therefore do not fall off in winter. In this way, the coniferous trees can photosynthesise longer than the deciduous trees.On the other hand, the leaves of deciduous trees are delicate and sensitive to frost. They fall off in autumn and have to be formed newly every spring. The deciduous trees have the advantage over the conifers that the leaves can photosynthesise better. They therefore grow faster in summer than the conifers.
By Laurine