10 unique forests

In a way, each forest is unusual, even if it is just a childhood forest with special memories for someone. Below are listed some more unique forests around the world:

Forests with rare species

• Ecosystem of Henderson Island (Pitcairn Islands (United Kingdom)) – the only forested atoll with an intact ecosystem in the world. Endemic species – 9 species of plants and all 4 species of land birds. Numerous invertebrates are endemic, although they are poorly researched.
• The Daintree Rainforest (Australia, Queensland) – this scenically beautiful forest contains unique, primitive flowering plants that survived the dry climatic periods in smaller areas of climatic refuge. By the way, this is not the oldest rainforest in the world!
• Monteverde cloud forest (Costa Rica) – cloud forest with extremely high biological diversity. It includes the nature reserve Bosque Nuboso Monteverde with the highest diversity of orchids in the world with more than 500 species, 34 new species were discovered in this forest.
• Madeiran laurisilva (Portugal, Madeira) – unique, roughly 150 km² large subtropical humid forest, a remnant of once widespread forests. The most impressive subtropical forest in Europe and the largest laurisilva forest in the world. Here live some 600 endemic species of plants and animals. The pristine forest is crossed by old waterways and pathways between villages.

  

• Mount Bosavi Crater (Papua New Guinea) – Forested volcano (some 4 km wide and 1 km deep) that is isolated from other highlands of Papua New Guinea. Here in the montane forest live numerous species of plants and animals that are not met anywhere else in the world, including the 82 cm long Bosavi Wooly Rat and fish that emits grunting noise.
• Mount Kinabalu montane ecosystem (Malaysia) – A very interesting ecosystem with multiple endemic species found only here. There lives the Kinabalu giant earthworm (Pheretima darnleiensis) that grows 70 cm long and Kinabalu giant red leech (Mimobdella buettikoferi) that grows up to 45 cm long and feeds on earthworms. Some 5 – 6 thousand plant species including more than 800 species of orchids and more than 600 species of ferns. 50 of them are found only here.
• Shimba Hills (Kenya) – a remnant of Eastern African coastal tropical forest with a very high level of endemism. There grow approximately 280 species of endemic plants that are not met outside this forest.

  

• Sinharaja Forest Reserve (Sri Lanka) – the largest virgin rainforest in Sri Lanka, the abode of numerous endemic species. In spite of its comparatively small size (8,864 ha), this forest contains a multitude of endemic trees (139 species!), insects, birds, mammals, and other beings that are not met anywhere else in the world. Forest contains numerous very large and tall trees.
• Vallée de Mai (Seychelles) – a relict of Gondwana, a natural palm forest with the endemic coco de mer palm (Lodoicea maldivica) grove and five other endemic palms. Coco de mer grows up to 34 m tall and has the largest seeds in the plant kingdom – nuts that are up to 42 kg heavy. Many other endemic species of plants and animals, numerous vanilla orchids.

Forests with unusual legends

• Aokigahara (Japan) – Large, nearly pristine, and ghostly, quiet forest with gruesome fame as the most popular place for suicides. Forest is reportedly haunted by Yūrei – dangerous spirits of the deceased.
• Endau-Rompin National Park and Mawas (Malaysia) – an ancient tropical rainforest with many rare plants and animals. The forest is 870 km² large. Indigenous people in this forest tell stories about encounters with Mawas – mythical, human-like creatures who are 3 – 4 m tall. There are reported recent sightings of this creature as well.
• Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary (Bhutan) – a gorgeous virgin forest in the Himalayas, mostly – temperate forest and subalpine ecosystems. One of the reasons for the creation of this sanctuary is the protection of migoi – a man-like cryptid, whose existence has not been proven but local people are convinced that it exists.

  

• Shennongjia white animals (China, Hubei) – virgin montane forest with little climatic change since the Jurassic period. There are many reports of diverse white animals – bears (Bai-Xiong), snakes, monkeys, deer, crows, and weasels. Many local people have reported sightings of big human-like animals.
• Tamanthi forest of were-tigers (Burma) – According to multiple legends and stories of many local people, in Tamanthi Wildlife Reserve are living were-tigers – beautiful girls in the daytime and dangerous tigers in the night. In this area have been preserved vast primeval forests with very high biological diversity. Forests extend for hundreds of kilometers.

Some more unique forests

• Cedars of God (Bcharre Cedars, Arz el-Rab) (Lebanon) – a prominent remnant of cedar forest (102 ha) that once covered a large area in the region. Consists of especially large and beautiful cedars of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) up to 35 meters tall and 14 meters in circumference. Since 1876 surrounded by a wall.
• Daallo Frankincense Forest (Somalia) – a lush forest of frankincense trees (Boswellia frereana) at the base of Cal Madow mountains. Thanks to the trees in the air is a constant, intense fragrance. Other rare plants, including the Gabel Elba dragon’s blood tree (Dracaena ombet). Here live also numerous rare animals.
• Holy Lake Taiwania Forest (Forest near Hsueshan Mountain) (Taiwan) – a relict forest with giant, rare trees. Here have been found almost 300 Taiwania cryptomerioides trees that are millennia old. Trunks of 213 Taiwania trees have a diameter above 4 m, some trees are more than 70 m tall.
• Huon pine growth of Mount Read (Australia, Tasmania) – a grove of genetically identical Huon pines (Lagarostrobos franklinii (Hook.f.) Quinn), stand of trees is 10,500 years old although none of the individual trees is that old.

  

• Modjadji Cycad Forest (South Africa, Limpopo) – Largest cycad (Encephalartos transvenosus) forest in the world (530 ha), resembles a prehistoric world, area of unusual beauty. Some cycads reach a height of 12 – 12.2 meters. Closely linked to the history of local, legendary Rain Queens.
• Monte de Ombúes (Uruguay) – possibly the largest and most spectacular forest of the unique ombú tree (Phitolacca dioica L.) – herb of tree-like form, reaching a circumference of 15 meters. For the most part, ombú is a solitary tree, but here it forms a 20 km² large stand.
• Reenadinna Wood (Ireland) – one of the few natural yew forests in the world, area 25 ha. This is an unusual forest where the ground is covered almost exclusively by moss.

  

• Forest of Scalesia daisy trees in Santa Cruz (Ecuador, Galápagos Islands) – a spectacular cloud forest that is dominated by Scalesia pedunculata trees. This is the largest tree in the Asteraceae family and grows up to 15 m tall. These unusual tree-like daisies are endemic to Galápagos and form smaller forests on several islands.
• Forest on the bottom of Sima Humboldt and Sima Martel (Venezuela) – small patches of virgin forest on the bottom of 314 and 248 meters deep quartzite sinkholes. These sinkholes have formed for long millions of years and it is tempting to think that these isolated patches of forests are very old and have many unique species…
• Qinngua Valley (Greenland) – the only forest in Greenland, with willows and birches several meters high. Valley has more than 300 species of plants. This is a place of unsurpassed beauty, with a clean river and tall, snow-clad mountains around it.

  

• Quiver Tree Forest (Namibia) – one of the few existing Aloe dichotoma forests. Here grow some 250 of these unusual plants, the tallest ones are 200 – 300 years old.
• Rokeb di Firmihin (Yemen, Socotra) – the best and last forest of some of the most unusual looking trees in the world – Dragon’s Blood Tree (Dracaena cinnabari).
• Saguaro National Park, West (United States, Arizona) – one of the best locations to see the unique saguaro cactus (Carnegia gigantea) stands with thousands of these giant cacti. One of the most biologically diverse deserts in the world.