Forests that grow on heaths are called heath forests, or kerangas. Heaths are uncultivated areas that have acidic and sandy soil. The Sundaland heath forest (also known as Kerangas forest) is one such forest, found on the Borneo Island lying between Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia and also, on the Belitung and Banka islands of Indonesia.
The availability of vital nutrients that is required for the normal growth of plants and other species is meagre because of this acidic soil.
Heath forests differ from lowland rainforests in terms of species composition, structure, texture, and colour. The trees are short and stunted in growth because of the difficulty in extracting essentials from the soil. However, to compensate for the loss, the trees grow a mat of roots above the soil surface and scavenge nutrients from decaying matter. The leaves are the cleverest of all! They shield themselves from the attack of leaf-eating insects by producing certain chemicals. Insects don’t find this tasty at all!
Heath forests are characterized by these short and slender trunked trees which form a low, uniform forest canopy. Vegetation that can nourish their growth from the available minimal source of soil nutrients are able to survive here. The under-brush beneath the canopy is therefore, thick and abundant with moss, epiphytes and a few other plant types.
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