Every forest has its own character, they can be bright and ethereal, dark as their shadows, dense and impenetrable, wild, mossy, enchanted, you name it!
I think however that the most important difference is among planted and old growth forests, the ones that have lived for many years without significant human disturbance. The latter in fact, besides being awe-inspiring and having the most effective healing powers, constitute an unique ecosystem that through a complex net of connections built up over the years provides habitat to many species of plants and wildlife, contributing to diversity, hydrological regimes, nutrient cycles, carbon storage, and numerous other ecological processes which are essential to the sustenance of life on this planet. The same cannot be said of planted forests where this important net of connections either does not exist due to their young age or has been destroyed.
Yet, regrettably, the loss of this important natural heritage continues at alarming rates and despite the European Union’s (EU) commitment to a Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, legislation to protect old-growth remnants still has not been implemented in many member states.
