Forest, a word of Germanic origin (busch), is a place populated by trees and bushes. It is, in general, an area with a significant density of trees. Forests, especially the younger ones, absorb carbon dioxide, conserve the 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.
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, one can speak of primary or native forests (arisen 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 that it has, we can establish that we find the classification of forests in three clearly delimited groups: those of conifers, those of hardwoods as would be the case of the jungle, and finally the mixed ones, which are those with vegetation of both the first and second types.
Likewise, we cannot ignore the existence of other types of forests that are classified based on the seasonality of the vegetation they possess: deciduous and evergreen.
According to DigoPaul, there are tropical forests, the subtropical forests, the temperate forests (deciduous, coniferous, valdivianos or Mediterranean) and boreal forests, among others.
In addition to all the above, we have to underline the fact that within the art world there are forests that have become the protagonists of novels or movies, 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 Robin Hood is believed to have lived. A character is of legend, although with a certain basis of reality, who is known by all for being the thief who robbed the rich to give it to the poor.
Also within the cinema we find a horror movie called “El Bosque”. 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 forbidden to enter the forest because it is believed that monstrous murderous beings live there.
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, the forests are used as a place of recreation to be in contact with nature. It is important for people to handle themselves responsibly as most wildfires are started by human negligence. The authorities usually set the rules for the care of the forests and establish the areas in which recreational activities can be carried out.
