Sumatran tropical pine forests
Encyclopedia
The Sumatran tropical pine forests is a subtropical coniferous forest
ecoregion
on the island of Sumatra
in Indonesia
.
and along the Barisan Mountains
including the tall Mount Leuser
. With 2500mm of rainfall per year the pine forests have a Tropical rainforest climate
but are drier than the thick rainforest areas lower down the slopes, especially on the drier eastern aspects of the mountains.
(Pinus merkusii), which has become established in areas where rainforest has been disturbed throughout history by events including landslides and forest fires as well as human clearance. Forest fire is a ongoing and continuous feature of the life-cycle of the forest.
.
and other national parks.
Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests
Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests are a forest biome. They are located in regions of semi-humid climate at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Most tropical and subtropical coniferous forest ecoregions are found in the Nearctic and Neotropic ecozones, from Mexico to Nicaragua and on the...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
on the island of Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
Location and description
These pine forests are found on the higher slopes of Sumatra, especially in the north of the island near Lake TobaLake Toba
Lake Toba is a lake and supervolcano. The lake is 100 kilometres long and 30 kilometres wide, and 505 metres at its deepest point. Located in the middle of the northern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra with a surface elevation of about , the lake stretches from to...
and along the Barisan Mountains
Barisan Mountains
The Bukit Barisan or the Barisan Mountains are a mountain range on the western side of Sumatra, Indonesia, covering nearly 1,700 km from the north to the south of the island. The Bukit Barisan range consists primarily of volcanoes shrouded in dense jungle cover, including Sumatran tropical pine...
including the tall Mount Leuser
Mount Leuser
Mount Leuser is the tallest mountain in the Indonesian province of Aceh, with an elevation of .The Gunung Leuser National Park protects the mountain and its surrounding ecosystems. It has been confirmed by some scientists that 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake has activated the volcano...
. With 2500mm of rainfall per year the pine forests have a Tropical rainforest climate
Tropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, also known as an equatorial climate, is a tropical climate usually found along the equator...
but are drier than the thick rainforest areas lower down the slopes, especially on the drier eastern aspects of the mountains.
Flora
This ecoregion is one of the rare areas of pine forest in the tropics with the dominant species Sumatran PineSumatran Pine
Pinus merkusii, the Sumatran Pine, is a pine native to the Malesia region of southeast Asia, mainly in Indonesia in the mountains of northern Sumatra, and with two outlying populations in central Sumatra on Mount Kerinci and Mount Talang, and in the Philippines on Mindoro and in the Zambales...
(Pinus merkusii), which has become established in areas where rainforest has been disturbed throughout history by events including landslides and forest fires as well as human clearance. Forest fire is a ongoing and continuous feature of the life-cycle of the forest.
Fauna
There is less wildlife here than in the rainforest that covers most of the island and there are no endemic mammals but there are still a number of near-endemic species including birds like the Sunda RobinSunda Robin
The Sunda Robin is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family. It is endemic to Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 25 July 2007....
.
Threats and preservation
The pine forests of the higher areas are less vulnerable to clearance than the valuable hardwood rainforests lower down and furthermore a third of them are within the Kerinci SeblatKerinci Seblat National Park
Kerinci Seblat National Park is the largest national park in Sumatra Indonesia. It has a total area of 13,791 km2, and spans four provinces: West Sumatra, Jambi, Bengkulu and South Sumatra....
and other national parks.