, Hawaii, is known for its montane
vegetation. Montane forests occur between the
submontane zone and the
subalpine zone. The elevation at which one habitat changes to another varies across the globe, particularly by
latitude. The upper limit of montane forests, the
tree line, is often marked by a change to hardier species that occur in less dense stands. The lower bound of the montane zone may be a "lower timberline" that separates the montane forest from drier
steppe or
desert region. Montane forests differ from lowland forests in the same area. The climate of montane forests is colder than lowland climate at the same latitude, so the montane forests often have species typical of higher-latitude lowland forests. Humans can disturb montane forests through
forestry and
agriculture.
Temperate climate Montane forests in temperate climate are typically one of
temperate coniferous forest or
temperate broadleaf and mixed forest, forest types that are well known from
Europe and northeastern
North America. Montane forests outside Europe tend to be more species-rich, because Europe during the Pleistocene offered smaller-area refugia from the glaciers. ,
Germany Montane forests in temperate climate occur in Europe (the
Alps,
Carpathians, and
more),
Mediterranean climate Montane forests in
Mediterranean climate are warm and dry except in winter, when they are relatively wet and mild. Montane forests located in Mediterranean climates, known as oro-Mediterranean, exhibit towering trees alongside high biomass. These forests are typically mixed conifer and broadleaf forests, with only a few conifer species.
Pine and
juniper are typical trees found in Mediterranean montane forests. The broadleaf trees show more variety and are often evergreen, e.g.
evergreen oak. This type of forest is found in the
Mediterranean Basin,
North Africa,
Mexico and the
southwestern US,
Iran,
Pakistan and
Afghanistan.
Subtropical and tropical climate In the tropics, montane forests can consist of
broadleaf forest in addition to
coniferous forest. One example of a tropical montane forest is a
cloud forest, which gains its moisture from clouds and fog. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of
mosses covering the ground and vegetation, in which case they are also referred to as mossy forests. Mossy forests usually develop on the
saddles of mountains, where moisture introduced by settling clouds is more effectively retained. Depending on latitude, the lower limit of montane rainforests on large mountains is generally between while the upper limit is usually from . Tropical montane forests might exhibit high sensitivity to climate change. Climate change may cause variation in temperature, precipitation and humidity, which will cause stress on tropical montane forests. The predicted upcoming impacts of climate change might significantly affect
biodiversity loss and might result in change of species range and community dynamics.
Global climate models predict reduced cloudiness in the future. Reduction in cloudiness may already be affecting the
Monteverde cloud forest in
Costa Rica. ==Subalpine zone==