secondary forest
Trees after clearing
Secondary forest is woodland that has regrown after the original forest was cleared or significantly disturbed—by logging, fire, agriculture, or natural disaster.
It differs from primary or old-growth forest in having younger trees, less biodiversity, and simpler structure.
Much of the world's forest cover is now secondary: The abandoned farmland reverted to secondary forest within decades.
Migratory crop-growing practice
- slash-and-burnPrimitive clearing method
- swiddenBurned forest farmland
- abandoned farmlandAgricultural land no longer worked
- plantationLarge-scale farming operation
Following in order
- pioneer speciesFirst life establishing somewhere
- regenerationBiological self-repair process
- revegetationRestoring lost plant cover
- saplingsJuvenile trees
undergrowth · colonization · germination · coppicing · disturbance · clearing · abandonment · fallow
Plants of a region
- faunaAnimal life collectively
- endemic speciesLife found nowhere else
- wildlifeUndomesticated natural organisms
- birdsEgg-laying flying vertebrates
insects · mammals · amphibians · reptiles · fungi · pollinators · epiphytes · invertebrates
Overhead protective covering
- understoryForest's lower vegetation tier
- biomassLiving material in aggregate
- leaf litterDecomposing ground debris
- deadwoodUnproductive people or things
Guarding against harm
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- wildlife corridorStrip connecting fragmented habitats
- buffer zoneNeutral area between rivals
- reserveSupply kept back
protected area · land restoration · carbon sequestration · watershed protection · erosion control · climate mitigation
shifting cultivation
Migratory crop-growing practice
- slash-and-burnPrimitive clearing method
- swiddenBurned forest farmland
- abandoned farmlandAgricultural land no longer worked
succession
Following in order
- pioneer speciesFirst life establishing somewhere
- regenerationBiological self-repair process
- revegetationRestoring lost plant cover
saplings · undergrowth · colonization · germination · coppicing · disturbance · clearing · abandonment · fallow · scrubland
flora
Plants of a region
- faunaAnimal life collectively
- endemic speciesLife found nowhere else
- wildlifeUndomesticated natural organisms
birds · insects · mammals · amphibians · reptiles · fungi · pollinators · epiphytes · invertebrates · native species
canopy
Overhead protective covering
- understoryForest's lower vegetation tier
- biomassLiving material in aggregate
- leaf litterDecomposing ground debris
protection
Guarding against harm
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- wildlife corridorStrip connecting fragmented habitats
- buffer zoneNeutral area between rivals
reserve · protected area · land restoration · carbon sequestration · watershed protection · erosion control · climate mitigation
secondary forestprimary forest
Undisturbed natural woodland
old-growth forest · virgin forest · ancient forest · primeval forest · mature forest
secondary forestclearcut
Unambiguous and definite
plantation · tree plantation · agricultural land · urban area · tree farm
secondary forestclearcut
Unambiguous and definite
cleared land · grassland · urban · agricultural land · open field
secondary, second, secondarily, secondariness, forest, forests, forested, forestry, forester