Forests are spaces with an abundance of bushes and trees.
Forest , a word of Germanic origin ( busch ), is a place populated by trees and bushes . In general, it is an area that has a significant density of trees. Forests, especially the youngest ones, absorb carbon dioxide, conserve soil and regulate hydrological flows.
There are forests in almost all regions of the planet. Human activity, however, poses a risk to its conservation . Forests also do not grow or subsist in regions with a high frequency of natural fire.
Forest types
Among the various classifications of forests, one of the most common is the one that takes into account their birth and history . In this sense, we can speak of primary or native forests (arising naturally and without major external interventions), secondary forests (regenerated from a first felling) or artificial forests (planted by humans).
In the same way, based on the type of vegetation it has, we can establish that we find the classification of forests into three clearly delimited groups: coniferous, leafy, as would be the case of the jungle, and finally the mixed ones, which are those that have vegetation of both the first and the second type.
Likewise, we cannot ignore the existence of other types of forests that are classified based on the seasonality of the vegetation they have as a criterion: deciduous and evergreen.
According to the geographical location, there are tropical forests , subtropical forests , temperate forests (leafy, coniferous, Valdivian or Mediterranean) and boreal forests , among others.
The forest surface is often threatened by human activity.
Exploitation and use
Forests are exploited by industry for the extraction of wood , rubber and other products. Forest trees allow the production of paper , for example.
On the other hand, forests are used as a place of recreation to be in contact with nature . It is important that people handle themselves responsibly since most forest fires start due to human negligence. Authorities usually set standards for the care of forests and establish areas where recreational activities can take place.
Forests in culture
In addition to all of the above, we have to highlight the fact that within the world of art there are forests that have become protagonists of novels or films, among others. Thus, we could highlight the famous Sherwood Forest that actually exists in the English town of Edwinstowe and that was taken as the setting where it is believed that Robin Hood lived. A character from legend, although with a certain basis in reality, who is known by everyone for being the thief who stole from the rich to give to the poor.
Also within the cinema we find a horror film called “The Forest” . M. Night Shyamalan was the director of this production that apparently takes place in the 19th century and specifically in the place where a very closed community lives that is prohibited from entering the forest because it is believed that monstrous murderous beings live there.