Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests occur in areas with distinct warm and cool season, which give it a moderate annual average temperature (3 to 15.6 °C). These forests occur in relatively warm and rainy climates, sometimes also with a distinct dry season.

Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests are generally characteristic of the warmer temperate latitudes but extend to cool temperate ones, particularly in the southern hemisphere. These forests tend to be structurally more complex than needleleaf forests, and to have considerably higher species diversity.