## 3 Results  
Forest canopy tree coverage degradation and regeneration in areas surrounding trails were analyzed in 19 locations of national forests across the US. We sampled 2802 trails in these forests. The total number of trails sampled in each forest ranged from 6 to 825 per forest. The tree canopy coverage of each trail is based on data from the USGS/MRLC National Land Cover Database [18]. Tree canopy coverage is available for 2011 (13.2 GB) for the entire US. Each spatial resolution represents the proportion of a 30m\({}^{2}\) cell covered by tree canopy. Tree canopy coverage values were produced using a Random Forests regression algorithm. ArcMap was used as a Geographical Information System (GIS) to analyze the different information layers, placing the trails on top of the tree canopy coverage (Figure 1A). Next, we analyzed the canopy coverage change range from each trail to the distance of 450 m from the trail (Figure 1B). Around each trail a series of rings was created. Each ring represents an additional growing distance of 45 m from the center of the trail. The average canopy coverage at a fixed time was analyzed for each ring. Figure 1: Tree canopy across the US (**A**). Tree canopy coverage surrounding forest trails (**B**). The light blue-green line is the actual trail. The surrounding black rings around the trail represent increasing distances from the trail center, 45 m apart. The green map layout represents canopy coverage per location, image pixel—30 m\({}^{2}\), calculated based on satellite imagery. The darker the shade of green, the greater the canopy coverage is. For each ring extending the distance around the trail, the average green shading was calculated. Black areas in the map represent areas where no canopy was identified, such as bodies of water and cliffs. The overlapping influence of effects from nearby trails was also analyzed, as can be seen from other coinciding rings from other trails. The total number of trails analyzed that exhibited at least 10% change in canopy tree coverage within the 450 m proximal was 323. The number of trails with the 10% change varied in each national forest from 1 to 96. Trails with high canopy change were selected to analyze the network structure after resection. Table 1 presents the sampled trail distribution in forests across the US. The overall results show that 86.51% of the cases analyzed present increased canopy coverage as the distance from the resection increases. The results can be viewed as knowledge processing in forests based on the consistency between tree network resection and canopy coverage as distances of up to 450 m. While influence on the nearby trees can be attributed to people walking on the trails, trees at a further distance from the trail should not be influenced by the trail themselves, and this absence of a direct influence was confirmed in multiple locations. The attempt of the forest to optimize the use of light resources through canopy coverage can be viewed as knowledge processing using the trees as a network. Forest resection by trails is analyzed in multiple locations across the US. From all the occurrences of at least 10% increase in canopy from the trail, examples of three locations are presented (Figure 2A,C,E): Florida, Allegheny, and the Rio Grande National Forests. Additional locations appear in the Supplementary Information (Figures S1 and S2). The canopy coverage was evaluated at an additional growing distance of 45 m surrounding the trail. The mean value \(\pm\) standard error of the mean (s.e.m.) is displayed. The results show dieback away from the trail center which continues to a distance of 450 m.