Forest Canopy

Canopy (botany)

In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant cropping or crop, formed by the collection of individual plant crowns. In forest ecology, the canopy is the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and including other biological organisms. The communities that inhabit the canopy layer are thought to be involved in maintaining forest diversity, resilience, and functioning. Shade trees normally have a dense canopy that blocks light from lower growing plants.

Forest

A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines a forest as, "Land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees higher than 5 meters and a canopy cover of more than 10 percent, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ. It does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban use." Using this definition, Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025 found that forests covered 4.14 billion hectares, or approximately 31 percent of the world's land area in 2025.

forest

Noun

1. A dense uncultivated tract of trees and undergrowth, larger than woods.
2. Any dense collection or amount.

Verb

1. To cover an area with trees.

canopy

Noun

1. A high cover providing shelter, such as a cloth supported above an object, particularly over a bed.
2. Any overhanging or projecting roof structure, typically over entrances or doors.

Verb

1. To cover with or as if with a canopy.
2. To go through the canopy of a forest on a zipline.