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![](/i/favi32.png) 4000 Essential English w ords4000 Essential English Words, Book 4Rainforests provide much of the world’s oxygen supply. But the forests’ exotic trees
and animals are being killed to make room for farmers and roads. People have been
trying to conserve rainforests for years. But another type of forest—the cloud forest—is
just as beneficial to humans. Cloud forests are also in danger of disappearing, but little
is being done to save them.
These forests are located at the tops of mountains, generally near the equator. These
humid, wooded mountaintops are mainly in
African and Central and South American
countries. They are called “cloud forests”
because their height allows for the formation
of clouds among the trees.
Rainforests produce large amounts of
oxygen. Cloud forests produce comparative
amounts of water. The trees in these forests pull
water out of the clouds. The moisture gathers on
the leaves. When it drips, it is deposited into streams. The streams flow into towns at the
bottom of the mountain. Then, it’s distributed to people. The yearly cumulative rainfall in
these areas is 173-198 centimeters. Cloud forests can pull in up to
60
percent of that.
This water is crucial to the plants and the people in the area. It helps them survive.
Cloud forests are also the birthplace of countless species of plants that can’t be found
anywhere else. One small cloud forest has the capacity for as many types of plants as there
are in all of Europe. There are so many, in fact, that scientists haven’t made a comprehensive
list of them yet.
These forests are being destroyed with increasing frequency. Trees are being cut down,
and roads are being built in their place. Some people have an objective to get federal money
to protect the forests. But they have had little success. Another strategy is to replace the
destroyed plants. That, too, has been difficult because the plants
are so unique. There’s plenty of work to be done, but
saving the cloud forests is still a possibility.
«U .M
Elbarskhan & mmh
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