What exactly is a forest?
It is common for people to want to know exactly what is a forest. The answer is that it’s a complex ecosystem with trees that cover the earth and contains a wide variety of life forms. A forest is Earth’s dominant terrestrial ecosystem. It is responsible for over 74 percent of the primary production of the world’s biosphere. It also accounts for more than 79 percent of global plant biomass.
Different Types
Forests are often classified into different types. Taiga has spruce, pine trees, and more. Mixed Temperate has deciduous as well as coniferous trees. There are tropical forests, equatorial rain forests, subtropical forests as well as temperate forests.
Human Alteration Classification
Forests are also classified based on the amount of human impact on them. Forests that contain mostly established serial patterns, as well as natural patterns, are considered to be old-growth forests. They have species native to their habitat as well as their region. Secondary forests are regrowing forests. They have had timber harvested from them. They may also have species that came from other habitats and regions.
Trees
Trees help create a special environment for forests. They impact the type of plants and animals
that will live and thrive there. Trees have always been an essential part of a woodland environment. They cool the air on hot days, clean the air, act as sound absorbers, as well as conserve heat during the night, and more. Birds will build their nests on the branches of a tree. When a tree is dead and hollowed out, animals and birds can live there.
Plants
Plants provide a protective canopy in forests. This canopy decreases the effects of raindrops on the soil. This lessens erosion of the soil. When a layer of leaves falls around the tree, it stops runoff. This enables the water to move into the soil. Soil is held in place by the roots of plants. When plants are dead, they decompose. This forms organic matter that provides nutrients for the soil and holds water. Plants also provide an environment to promote the growth of different organisms.
Creation
Forests are created in places where the average temperature is more than 10 degrees centigrade or 50 degrees Fahrenheit during the warm months. Annual rainfall must also be more than approximately 20mm or 8 inches. Places with conditions like this will have a variety of tree and plant species.
Layers
Many layers make up forests. The main layer for all types of forests is the floor, the canopy, and the understory. Each of the layers within forests supports different animals and plants. The availability of moisture, food, and sunlight also are factors.
Floor
In forests, this consists of dead trees, decomposing leaves as well as animal droppings. This decay on the floor provides nutrients for the plants and creates new soil. It will support tree seedlings, ferns, mushrooms, various grasses, and more.
Canopy
This is created by a large number of intertwined leaves, branches, and twigs of mature trees. The crowns of the dominant trees in forests can get the most sunlight. This is the most productive section of a tree. It is where the maximum amount of food is created. The canopy creates shade and a protective type of umbrella over everything beneath it.
Understory
This consists of the young trees, bushes, and shrubs that have adapted to living beneath the shade of the canopy.
Human Benefits
Scientific evidence has shown how forests can impact the lives of humans.
*Improve Mental Health – Science has shown how exposure to forests will decrease a person’s stress level. It improves a person’s overall mood and more.
*Clean Water – Thousands of communities around the United States get their drinking water from the watershed in Grasslands and National forests.
*Improve Physical Health – People who spend time in forests have been shown to experience a stronger immune system. It also seems to help people have shorter rehabilitation times after an injury or illness.
Human societies and forests influence one another. This influence is both positive and negative. Forests can provide important ecosystem services to human societies. They are also often used as types of tourist attractions. There are human activities that result in the unsustainable use of a forest’s resources. This could result in a negative impact on a forest’s ecosystems.