Forestry terms

A loosely defined area consisting of numerous habitats.

The branches and foliage at the top of a tree.

An area of land measuring 43,560 square feet. A square 1-acre plot measures 209 feet by 209 feet; a circular acre has a radius of 117.75 feet.

A plant that has true flowers and bears its seeds in fruits. In temperate zones, many angiosperms are deciduous trees, while in tropical zones, many are evergreen trees. Examples include oaks, willows, maples and birches.

A group of trees that do not lose all of their leaves every year but go through a gradual replacement by dropping only their oldest leaves each year. Instead of being bare in winter, these trees have leaves all year.

A broad term that includes nondomesticated vertebrates, especially mammals, birds and fish.

A group of trees that are sufficiently the same in species composition and arrangement of age classes and condition so that they can be managed as a unit.

The art, science and practice of establishing, tending and reproducing forest stands of desired characteristics. It is based on knowledge of species’ characteristics and environmental requirements.

The underground portion of a tree that helps anchor the tree in the ground and absorbs water and nutrients from the soil.

Trees with broad, flat leaves as opposed to coniferous or needled trees. Wood hardness varies among the hardwood species, and some are actually softer than some softwoods.

The lowest level of the forest that is made up of tree seedlings, dead leaves and needles, grasses, ferns, flowers, fungi, and decaying plants and logs.

The solid interior of a tree.