overstories
Uppermost tree layers
Overstories are the uppermost layers of a forest canopy—the crowns of the tallest trees that receive direct sunlight and form a ceiling above the understory below.
The term appears in ecology and forestry: The overstory of old-growth forest was dominated by Douglas firs.
Figuratively, an overstory can be a narrative or theme that arches over smaller stories beneath it.
Uppermost forest branches
- canopyOverhead protective covering
- crownSovereign's ornamental headpiece
- foliagePlant's leafy covering
- branchesLimbs of trees
leaves · arboreal · dappled · leafy · shade · cover · shelter · emergent
Tree-dense ecosystem
- biomeMajor ecological community
- woodlandForested land area
- rainforestWet tropical woodland ecosystem
- deciduousSheds foliage seasonally
coniferous · old-growth · succession · temperate · boreal · tropical · photosynthesis · stratification
Guarding against harm
- coolnessCalm self-possession
- shelterProtected place or structure
- respiteShort pause from hardship
- coverProtect by overlaying
dimness · dappled · filtered · sunlight · shadow · relief · refuge · microhabitat
Finest taxonomic rank
- endemicNative to one area
- richnessState of abundance
- diversityState of varied elements
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
populations · native · endangered · habitat · wildlife · birds · epiphytes · orchids
New and unusual
- narrativeAccount of events
- treesWoody plants with trunks
- interconnectionMutual joining of parts
- environmentalismAdvocacy for nature protection
Pulitzer · fiction · storytelling · allegory · symbolism · activism · legacy
treetops
Uppermost forest branches
- canopyOverhead protective covering
- crownSovereign's ornamental headpiece
- foliagePlant's leafy covering
branches · leaves · arboreal · dappled · leafy · shade · cover · shelter · emergent · uppermost
forest
Tree-dense ecosystem
- biomeMajor ecological community
- woodlandForested land area
- rainforestWet tropical woodland ecosystem
deciduous · coniferous · old-growth · succession · temperate · boreal · tropical · photosynthesis · stratification · layering
protection
Guarding against harm
cover · dimness · dappled · filtered · sunlight · shadow · relief · refuge · microhabitat · humidity
species
Finest taxonomic rank
conservation · populations · native · endangered · habitat · wildlife · birds · epiphytes · orchids · bromeliads
novel
New and unusual
- narrativeAccount of events
- treesWoody plants with trunks
- interconnectionMutual joining of parts
environmentalism · Pulitzer · fiction · storytelling · allegory · symbolism · activism · legacy
overstoriesunderstories
Vegetation below treetops
understory · forest floor · ground cover · undergrowth · underbrush
stories, storied, storybook, overstate, overstated, storeys, storey, overstates, overstating