Rainforest Day

With the amount of rain we get here in Washington, it’s no surprise our Evergreen State is home to a temperate rainforest. The Hoh Rain Forest one of the only protected temperate rain forests in the Northern Hemisphere and is found on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula where moisture-laden air from the Pacific Ocean brings an average of 140 inches of annual rainfall. If you are in the area, you can visit the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center for hiking and sightseeing galore. 

Are you the type that likes to record your findings from your adventures? Well, then you definitely don’t want to be without your Washington-made Rite in the Rain notebook on this Washington adventure. Check out featured user Melissa Fedrigo’s story about working in a tropical rainforest in southwest Uganda under the heading “Tropical Biomass” in our ‘Cool Stories’ section.




Photo Credit: BluePlanetBiomes.org

 

October 19^th is Rainforest Day, an annual holiday that raises awareness about the importance of rainforests around the globe and the plight they are facing. The unique ecosystem rainforests provide are critical to the balance of nature. In fact, more than 20 percent of the world’s oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest. However, this natural habitat is constantly disappearing due to commercial logging and other human activities.

Here are some interesting facts:

·         Today, approximately six percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by rainforest

·         More than half the world’s animal species and plants are found in the rainforest.

Have you ever been to a rainforest or do you have plans to visit one? What did you like most/what are you most excited about?