What is the difference between coniferous forest and rainforest?

Answer 1

A coniferous forest is composed of conifer tree species (the word conifer means cone bearing). Pine trees are an example of a conifer tree. Typically coniferous forest are evergreen forest because most conifers are evergreen tree species (they do not lose their leaves in the fall, which means the trees stay green year round).

The Society of American Foresters defines a rainforest as "an evergreen forest associated with a climate characterized by continual high humidity and abundant rainfall (>60 in or > 1524 mm per year) and a short or no dry season" (Helms, 1998).

Therefore, a rainforest may be a coniferous forest. A coniferous rainforest would typically be known as a temperate rainforest (such as those of the Pacific Northwest to Alaska). Tropical rainforest remain green year round due to the warm climate rather than the species of tree present. These rainforest tend to have broad leaf trees rather than conifer species.