primary forest
Never-cut wilderness
Primary forest is woodland that has never been cleared or significantly disturbed by human activity, retaining its original ecological structure and species composition.
Also called old-growth forest or virgin forest.
Primary forests support biodiversity that secondary (regrown) forests cannot replicate: Less than a third of the world's forests are primary forest.
The term appears frequently in conservation and climate discussions.
- tree canopyUpper forest layer
- canopyOverhead protective covering
- understoryForest's lower vegetation tier
- leaf litterDecomposing ground debris
- fallen logsHorizontal timber on ground
tropical rainforest · old-growth · endemic species · intact · microclimate · keystone species · root · carbon sequestration · logging · protected area · ancient woodland · soil health · ferns · rainforest destruction · habitat preservation · conservation area · dense · ecosystem
- forestswoods, pine trees, maple trees, spruce trees, grove
- forest conservationsustainable forestry, sustainable logging, selective logging, old growth, tree planting
- old-growth forestsold-growth, old growth, ancient woodland, ancient trees, old-growth trees
- Rainforest termsjungle, canopy, understory, epiphytes, lianas
primary forestsecondary forest
Vegetation after original removal
plantation · tree plantation · tree farm · cleared land · managed forest
forest, prime, primary, primitive, forests, primarily, primate, primeval, primaries