The Nihonkai montane deciduous forests

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas o ...

(WWF ID: PA0428) covers the Nihonkai (Sea of Japan-side) mountain slopes of Japan's central island of

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island ...

, including most of the northern half of the island. Also included in the ecoregion are the forested lowland hills of the

Oshima Peninsula The Oshima Peninsula (渡島半島 ''Oshima-hantō'') is the southernmost part of Hokkaidō, the northernmost of the Japanese islands. Where the peninsula starts is open to interpretation. A more generous interpretation is to draw a line sou ...

, which is the southern extension of Hokkaido Island.

Location and description

The ecoregion stretches for up the western side of Honshu, from Wakasa Bay in the south and expanding to cover the breadth of the island by the time it reaches the northern coast. Elevations range from sea level to , with an average of . Throughout the ecoregion, individual mountain peaks rise above the zone of deciduous trees into the

Honshu alpine conifer forests , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separ ...

ecoregion.

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is '' Humid continental climate - Hot summer sub-type'' (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

Dfa), with large seasonal temperature differentials and a hot summer (at least one month averaging over , and mild winters.

Flora and fauna

The climate is cooler in the north of Honshu than the south, with deciduous trees typified by Japanese beech ''(

Fagus crenata ''Fagus crenata'', known as the Siebold's beech, Japanese beech, or buna, is a deciduous tree of the beech genus, ''Fagus'', of the family Fagaceae. Distribution and habitat It is endemic to Japan, where it is widespread and often one of the ...

)'' and Jolcham oak ''( Quercus serrata)''.

Protected areas

Protected areas in the ecoregion include: * Bandai-Asahi National Park * Chūbu-Sangaku National Park * Oze National Park

References

{{Paleartic temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Palearctic ecoregions Ecoregions of Japan Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Montane forests