Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Surprise meSurprise meSubscribe
Encyclopedia

High forest

Type of forest consisting of large, tall mature trees with a closed canopy

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
1 min read
Source updated February 27, 2024

A high forest is a type of forest originated from seed or from planted seedlings. In contrast to a low forest (also known as a coppice forest), a high forest usually consists of large, tall mature trees with a closed canopy. High forests can occur naturally or they can be created and maintained by human management. Trees in a high forest can be of one, a few or many species. A high forest can be even-aged or uneven-aged. Even-aged forests contain trees of one, or two successional age classes (generations). Uneven-aged forests have three or more age classes represented.

High forests have relatively high genetic diversity compared with coppice forests, which develop from vegetative reproduction. A high forest can have one or more canopy layers. The understory of a high forest can be open (parklike, easy to see and walk through), or it can be dense. A high forest's understory can have high or low vegetation species diversity.

Watch videos about High forestExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “High forest”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.

Continue exploring

Related topics

Coppicing

Coppicing is the traditional method in woodland management of cutting down a tree to a stump, which in many species encourages new shoots to grow from the stump or roots, thus ultimately regrowing the tree. A forest or grove that has been subject to coppicing is called a copse or coppice, in which young tree stems are repeatedly cut down to near ground level.

Ecological thinning

Ecological thinning is a silvicultural technique used in forest management that involves cutting trees to improve functions of a forest other than timber production. Although thinning originated as a man-made forest management tool, aimed at increasing timber yields, the shift from production forests to multifunctional forests brought with it the cutting of trees to manipulate an ecosystem for various reasons, ranging from removing non-native species from a plot to removing poplars growing on a riverside beach aimed at recreational use.

Old-growth forest

An old-growth forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features.