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| Argentina
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Argentina
is located in the southeastern part of South America. It is
bordered by Chile on the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the
east. Argentina has an area of roughly 277 million ha of which
12.4% (33 942 000 ha) is forested. The country can be divided
into four major physiographic provinces: the Andes to the
west (with arid basins, foothills, glacial mountains and the
Lake District), the fertile lowland north (with subtropical
rainforests), the central Pampas (a flat mix of humid and
dry expanses) and Patagonia (a combination of pastoral steppes
and glacial regions). Argentina's climate ranges from subtropical
in the north to humid and steamy in the centre, and cold in
the temperate south.
http://www.mecon.gov.ar/
http://www.inta.gov.ar/
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| Australia |
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Australia
is an island nation located south of Indonesia between the
Pacific and Indian Oceans. Australias total land mass
of 769 million ha supports about 156 million ha (or 20 per
cent by land area) of forest and woodland and more than 1
million ha of plantations. While Australias forests
and woodlands are dominated by Eucalyptus, these are
very diverse with over 700 species of eucalypts, which support
a rich diversity of ecosystems, varied in their floristic
composition, structure and fauna.
http://www.affa.gov.au/forestry
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| Canada |
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Canada
is located in North America north of the United States and
has the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans on its western and eastern
borders. It is the second largest country in the world with
an area of 997 million ha of which 417.6 million ha (42%)
is forested, representing 10% of the world's forest. Canada
is a country of mainly lakes, rivers and forests. The forest
cover in Canada varies from grasslands to temperate forests
and is boreal forest and arctic tundra across the north.
http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/ |
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| Chile |
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Chile
lies on the western and southern part of the Southern Cone
of America, extending to the Antarctic continent, and including
Easter Island to the West. The country's territory covers
a surface of 75.7 million ha, of which 33.8 million are classified
as forest lands (44.6%) Due to its large geographical extension,
the country's climate range includes deserts, steppes, Mediterranean,
rainy moderate warm, rainy maritime, cold steppes, tundra
and polar climates. The variation in latitude and altitude
allows the formation of a wide diversity of vegetation in
Chile.
The forest resource
is comprised of Native Forests, Plantations, and a combination
these two, covering a total estimated area of 14,208,569 ha.
Eight vegetation areas have been identified for the country:
desert, high Andean steppe, schlerophyllous brush and forest,
deciduous forest, Lauraceae forest, Andean patagonian
forest, evergreen forest, and peat bogs and patagonian steppe.
http://www.conaf.cl/
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| China |
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China
is the third largest country in the world with an area of
960 million ha (mainland). It is located in northeast Asia
with Mongolia on the northern border with the East and South
China Seas to the east. Its geography varies from mountains
to plains and deserts. The climate varies from sub-arctic
in the northeastern region to tropical in the south.
http://www.forestry.ac.cn
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| Japan |
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Japan
is a chain of islands located off the eastern edge of the
Eurasian Continent. The islands stretch over 3 000 km from
the northeast to the southeast, and the total land area is
approximately 38 million ha. In general, topography is very
steep, reaching 2 000-3 000 meters above sea level at the
central part of the four main islands. The major part of Japan
is under the influence of a wet monsoon climate and has four
distinct seasons. The climatic conditions vary according not
only to the latitude but also to the altitude and topographic
features. Forests cover approximately 25 million ha, occupying
67% of the total land area of Japan. Boreal, temperate and
sub-tropical forest are distributed within the Japan's north-south
ranging geography. Of Japan's total forest area, planted forests
covered 10.4 million ha, occupying 41% of the country, while
natural forests covered 13.4 million ha or 53% in 1995.
http://www.maff.go.jp/eindex.html
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| Republic of Korea
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Korea
is a peninsular country located in Asia neighboured by China,
Russia, and Japan. Korea has a temperate climate characterized
by hot and humid summer monsoons and by cold and dry continental
winter weather. Korea is a mountainous nation, covered largely
by forest which accounts for 65% of the total land base of
9.9 million ha. In general, most of Korea's forest is temperate,
but semi-tropical forest occurs in the southern part and semi-boreal
forests in the northern part of the Korean peninsula.
http://www.foa.go.kr
http://www.foa.go.kr/2003_forest/eng/index.htm
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| Mexico |
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Mexico
is located in southern North America with The United States
to the north. Mexico has an area of roughly 197 million ha
of which 72% are forest lands, occupied by temperate forest,
and tropical rain forest. Temperate forest grow on an area
of 30 million ha. Temperate forests are composed of pure conifer
stands, mixed conifer, and hardwood stands. These forests
are growing in the mountain regions of the country, in altitude
bands ranging from 800 to 3 000 meters above sea level.
http://www.semarnat.gob.mx/
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| New Zealand |
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New
Zealand, a geographically young country comprising two narrow
mountainous islands and a number of small offshore islands,
is located southeast of Australia in the Pacific Ocean. New
Zealand has a total land area of 27 million ha. Of this area,
forests cover 29 percent, or 7.94 million ha. Of this, 6.4
million ha are natural forest and 1.54 million ha are planted
forest. New Zealand's indigenous forests are located mainly
in the mountain lands, particularly on the West Coast of the
South Island.
http://www.maf.govt.nz/MAFnet/
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| Russian
Federation |
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Russia
is the largest country in the world. Stretching from the borders
with Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine and Turkey in the west,
along borders with Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China, to reach
the Pacific Ocean some 6,000 km later. Its area is 1,707 million
ha. Due to its great size, Russia has varied climates and
a varied geography. It is a fairly cold country with northern
pine and spruce forests. There are 3 major rivers that flow
through the country as well as small Ural mountains.
http://www.mnr.gov.ru
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| United States
of America |
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The
United States of America is located in North America with
Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The total area
of the US is roughly 916 million ha of which 300.8 million
ha is forest land. These lands vary in character from the
boreal forests of Alaska, to the temperate forests of most
of the continental US, to the tropical forests of Puerto Rico
and Hawaii. The vegetation cover of the US varies greatly
and is directly related to temperature and annual precipitation
levels. Those areas receiving substantial precipitation are
predominately forested, while semiarid and arid locations
support grasses and shrubs and are often associated with irrigated
agriculture and/or rangeland. Forests are widely, though unevenly
distributed across the continent. They range from the sparse
scrub lands of the arid interior West, to the highly productive
forests of the South and Pacific Coast. They include pure
hardwood and softwood stands as well as mixtures.
http://www.sustainableforests.net
http://www.fs.fed.us/sustained
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| Uruguay |
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Uruguay
is located on the east coast of South America and bounded
by Brazil to the north, Argentina to the west and the Atlantic
Ocean to the east. Its area is roughly 17 million ha. The
countryside is hilly and it has temperate weather year round.
Uruguay has 667,315 ha of natural forests and 495,540 ha of
man-made forests. Of the latter, 344,920 ha are classified
as commercial forest, while 150,620 are protected forest.
For the past three years, and within the framework of the
new forest policy, the afforestation rate has been 60,000
ha annually. Natural forests cover 3.3% of the national territory
and are located on river banks and in hilly areas, wet valleys,
parks, palm groves and coastal sandy areas. Different types
of vegetation are found in the grasslands, highlands and lowlands
of Uruguay, including meadow species, chircales, psammophytes,
halophytes, and plants typical of marshy and aquatic environments.
http://www.mgap.gub.uy/
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© 1998-2005 Montréal Process Working Group. All rights reserved.
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