Ecology of The Endless Forest

Contents

Background

The Endless Forest is one of the forests of The Wilds, and is the one situated closest to The Towns. It is visited by clans of the Nomads regularly. Cutting through the middle of the forest is the Moss Dropp Ravine, which is more than 1000ft deep.

Environment

Water

The pine forests of the Endless Forest have a reliable amount of precipitation, between 900mm and 3,000mm a year, with an average of 150 days of rain annually. There are four major rivers which run through it from the mountains that surround down into the ocean and the lake which bracket the area.

Sunlight

There is a good amount of sunlight, with the mountains situated to the north and south not impacting the amount of daylight the area gets.

Soil

The ground of the forest is well-drained. It is porous, sandy, and slightly acidic. There is a good amount of tree cover, stabilising the ground.

Temperature

Highs

20°C (68°F)

Lows

-3°C (26°F)

Wind

The forest, for the most part, is protected by the mountains from high winds, although some do come off the ocean to the west.

Elevation

The majority of the Endless Forest is between 700m and 1500m above sea level. However, it does stretch up into the foothills of the mountains.

Biotic Factors

Decomposers

The primary decomposers in the Endless Forests are the mosses and fungi which grow in abundance. There are also worms and some insects which act in this capacity.

Producers

The most common producers in the Endless Forest are the pine trees which make up the body of the forest. Their needles create a soft habitat on the ground for other producers and consumers. Other producers include low-growing shrubs and ferns, including bracken and the kivet fern, named for the god Kivet of the Rocks, due to its grey colouring.

Consumers

Primary Consumers

There are three main types of primary consumers which live in the Endless Forest; insects, small mammals, and large grazing mammals. Insects include slugs, snails, flies, ants and other crawling creatures. Shrews, mice, rabbits and squirrels are examples of the small mammals in this category. There are two types of large grazing mammals; the elk which spend the winter months here before heading further north in the summer, and the herds of deer which are in this forest all year around.

Secondary Consumers

Secondary consumers in the Endless Forest include birds and mammals. There are seven different birds which get their energy from the insects that live here. These are the green-headed nuthatch, the morning sparrow, the white-collared woodpecker, the rock tit, the blue rock tit, the echo cuckoo and the grey-headed raven. In addition, there are also small wild cats, weasels and foxes which feed on the small mammals (and sometimes the birds if they can catch them).

Tertiary Consumers

The main tertiary consumer in the Endless Forest is the Nomads who travel through the area. There are bears which hibernate in the mountains to the north, and tend to call the northern section of the forest home, rarely straying south of the Moss Drop Ravine. South of the ravine there are several packs of wolves which prowl the woods. There are also two types of hawk, the bloodbeak hawk and the frozentear hawk, as well as the tuuli eagle (named after the god of the wind).

Sapient Impact

Nomads

The Nomads put a lot of effort into ensuring that they have a minimal impact on the forest, leaving things as close to how they found them as they can. They eat much of the flora and fauna that is here, but they don't stay anywhere long enough to have a lasting impact.

Townsfolks

The Townsfolks built their towns in the north-western corner of the Endless Forest, and are known to send hunting groups into the forests and use the trees for building their houses, burning in their fires and so on. Each year, the towns encroach a little further on the forest.