forest edge
Where trees end
The forest edge is the transitional zone where woodland meets open land—a meadow, field, or clearing.
Ecologists call this an ecotone, where species from both habitats intermingle.
Forest edges often support greater biodiversity than either forest interior or open ground alone: Deer browse along the forest edge at dawn.
The term appears in wildlife management, landscape design, and ecological studies.
- woodlandForested land area
- tree lineForest's upper limit
- ecotoneBoundary between distinct habitats
- microclimateLocalized atmospheric zone
- hiking trailOutdoor walking route
deforestation · dappled · biodiversity · fragmentation · shrubland · glade · wildlife corridors · avian · adjacency · buffer zone · penumbra · ferns · fallen logs · wild mushrooms · light filtering · berries · gradient · brambles
- foresttrees, pine, oak, woods, wood
- forestswoods, pine trees, maple trees, spruce trees, grove
- forest featurespine trees, redwoods, oak trees, sequoias, fallen log
- habitatsocean, lake, river, pond, desert
- forestrysilviculture, forests, forestry, reforestation, timber
- ecotonesecotone, transition zone, timberline, intertidal zone, fringe
forest edgedeep woods
Remote forested area
dense forest · primeval forest · thicket · virgin forest · understory
forest edgeopen field
Unenclosed outdoor space
clearing · meadow · grassland · open plain · prairie