Old Growth Forests

Old Growth Forests

An old-growth forest (also termed primary forest, virgin forest, primeval forest, late seral forest, or in Britain, ancient woodland) is a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological features and in some cases may be classified as a climax community. Old-growth features include diversity of tree-related structures that serve as diversified wildlife habitat that leads to higher bio-diversity of the forested ecosystem. Diversified tree structure includes multi-layered canopies and canopy gaps, high variance of tree heights and diameters, diversity of decaying classes and sizes of woody debris, and diversity of tree species.

Read more about Old Growth Forests:  Characteristics, Importance, Ecosystem Services, Climatic Impacts, Management, Locations of Remaining Tracts, Logging in Old Growth Forests

Famous quotes containing the words growth and/or forests:

    Interpretation is the evidence of growth and knowledge, the latter through sorrow— that great teacher.
    Eleonora Duse (1858–1924)

    The great pines stand at a considerable distance from each other. Each tree grows alone, murmurs alone, thinks alone. They do not intrude upon each other. The Navajos are not much in the habit of giving or of asking help. Their language is not a communicative one, and they never attempt an interchange of personality in speech. Over their forests there is the same inexorable reserve. Each tree has its exalted power to bear.
    Willa Cather (1873–1947)