The Latin word “foris,” which means outdoors, is where the term “forest” originates. Thus, originally, a forest must have included all uncultivated and uninhabited land. The definitions of ‘forest’ by British, American, and Indian foresters are interesting to compare. But they all fail to meet ecological standards. The definition adopted by the Society of American Foresters is: “A forest is a biological community dominated by trees and other woody vegetation.” According to British Commonwealth Forest Terminology, the forest is “a plant community predominantly of trees and other woody vegetation, usually with a closed canopy.” According to Indian Forest Records, a forest is defined as “an area set aside for the production of timber and other forest produce or maintained under woody vegetation for certain indirect benefits it provides, i.e., climatic or protective.” The forests of a country are natural assets of great value, which, unlike mineral resources, are renewable and can be kept perpetually protected, productive, and useful under proper management.

From an ecological perspective:

A natural plant community that is dominated by trees and other vegetation is referred to as a forest.

Usually, it has a closed canopy. It essentially has the following features:

•  It includes the living organisms extending vertically from the canopy’s top to the lowest soil layer.

• The ecosystem is open because it exchanges energy and materials with other systems. Other systems include adjacent forests, downstream ecosystems, and the atmosphere. A forest ecosystem may exist in a steady state if inputs and outputs balance and material storage does not change quickly. It never attains equilibrium.

Climate, soil, and management techniques can all have an impact on productivity in different types of forests.

Seven types of boreal forests have been identified. They are based on climate, community structure, plant species, and dominant trees.

• Tropical rain forest along the equator, tall trees with a dense canopy. 4-5 strata, broad, leathery leaves. Rainfall: 150 cm. Soil is poor in humus and has a lot of iron and aluminium. (South America, Africa, Indonesia, and parts of India.)
• Dry deciduous forest (monsoon forest): in the tropics, it becomes leafless during hot and dry seasons. Annual rainfall is 75-200 cm. Soil types are red loam, black, and alluvial. (Africa, South America, Australia, Southeastern Asia—India, Pakistan) teak and sal forests.
• Thorn Forest: It has small, umbrella-shaped, thorny trees, vines, and succulents. It is deciduous. Rainfall is 25-50 cm. Soil is poor in nutrients; it is found in Africa, Mexico, Australia, and drier parts of Asia (India).
• Mediterranean forest: Small trees and bushland, with 50-90 cm of rain each year. There is a 3-5 month drought in the warmest parts of the year—Mediterranean region, South West Australia, Central Chile, etc.
• Deciduous forest: dense foliage with thick bark. The cold season is severed, and naked trees undergo dormancy. Oak, birch, and maple. There are two seasons of growth periods and a cold, moist season of rest. Precipitation is 75-150 cm in the Eastern United States, Western Europe, and Eastern Asia, etc.
• Temperate rain forest. It is luxurious, like a tropical rainforest, with 3-5 layers of canopy. Rich in vegetation, from mosses to trees like Araucaria, Podocarpus, and Ficus junipers. Temperature is moderate and rainfall is 100-200 cm. Highlands of central Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia.
• Coniferous forests: in the north, with 35-200 cm of winter snow.