Cloud Forests

Cloud forests (also known as tropical montane cloud forests) are a rare and highly threatened type of evergreen forest found in the mountains of the tropics. Their name is derived from the fact that they are frequently enveloped by clouds and mist and are persistently wet. Cloud forests are mountain rain forests. The vegetation is characterized by dense canopies, reduced tree stature, and a high proportion of biomass as epiphytes, including an abundance of ferns, mosses, and bromeliads. Cloud forests cover less than 1 percent of the earth's land area, and just 2.5 percent of all tropical forests. They are found at elevations of 2,000–3,500 meters (6,500–11,500 feet) in large inland mountain systems, and as low as 500 meters (1,600 feet) in coastal mountains and ...