The importance of tropical forests to great rivers, ocean health and even world weather, as well as to the resilience of life itself, places them at the forefront of triage for preservation. Dry Tropical Forests Monkey Ear acacia trees in deciduous tropical woodlands, Sierra Madre, Chiapas, Mexico. Due to lack of abundant rain, rather than freezing temperatures, these forests are obligated to loose their leaves during the dry season. Many plants bloom at this time in preparation for the intense growth of the following rainy season. Chaparral Shrublands Oaks, pines and manzanita on foothills in the Sierra Nevada, California, U.S.A. Shrublands occupy semiarid areas having moist, cool winters and dry, hot summers.
Rainfall occurs in the colder months and fire is a determining factor.
There is no under story, little leaf litter and thin soils are subject to catastrophic erosion. Shrublands form critical transitions between forests and grasslands.