If you want to be happy for a lifetime plant a tree. Forests support hundreds of wildlife species, reduce soil erosion and flooding, filter pollutants out of stormwater and provide the source for our paper and wood products. Forests are more than just a collection of trees. A forest is a community that includes the soil, water, plants and animals found there.
Forests are also divided into distinct layers.
The top layer is called the canopy. The canopy provides nesting sites for many birds, such as scarlet tanagers and cerulean warblers. Squirrels also nest in the canopy. The next layer down, the understory, is made of smaller trees and tall shrubs. This is the layer that we often see when looking up into the forest.