Forest Habitat Layers
The five layers of a forest habitat are:
Forest Floor: area of organic soil that allows all forest life to exist, including seeds to sprout and wildlife to roam. Here, soil is nitrogen-rich. Plants and insects will take nitrogen and convert it into useable energy that encourages growth.
Shrub: a healthy forest maintains diversity in its population of shrubs, or woody plant smaller than a tree and maintains several levels of stems above the ground. At Lone Pine, you will find some of our shrub population consists of: Lewis' Mock Orange, American Dwarf Mistletoe, Chokecherry, Birch-Leaved Spiraea, Creeping Oregon-Grape, Serviceberry, and Common Snowberry, to name a few.
3. Understory: a critical component of forest ecosystems that support plant diversity and provide food and habitat elements to wildlife species. Understory species are generally referred to as the lower levels in the forest (up to small shrubs), with some consideration of small individuals of larger species
The understory directly influences the nutrient cycle, which many plants and animals rely on. Species in this layer of the forest, survive competition with the overstory by having large seeds, storage organs, long lifespans, and ability to tolerate low light levels.
4. Overstory or Canopy: the crowns or tallest layer of the forest and therefore, blocks most of the sunlight from reaching the understory. For the most part, the trees in this layer have outcompeted other trees and reached maturity. Responsibilities include: photosynthesis, light absorption, modification and shading, nutrient cycling, atmospheric-meteorologic interaction, biological diversity, and more!
5. Snag: An unofficial layer to forest habitat, but very important. Standing dead and dying trees, called "snags" or "wildlife trees," are important for wildlife in both natural and landscaped settings, occurring as a result of disease, lightning, fire, animal damage, too much shade, drought, root competition, as well as old age.