In ecology, a gap or canopy gap is an opening in the forestcanopy structure devoid of large trees. Gaps are formed after large trees die and fall and allows the regrowth trees and other plants as the shade is removed. The word ecology is often used in common parlance as a synonym for the natural environment or environmentalism. ... A forest is an area with a high density of trees (or, historically, a wooded function as carbon dioxide sinks, animal habitats, hydrologic flow modulators, and soil conservers, constituting one of the most important aspects of the Earths biosphere. ... A dense growth of softwoods (a forest) in the Sierra Nevada Range of Northern California A forest is an area with a high density of trees (or, historically, a wooded area set aside for hunting). ... For other uses, see Tree (disambiguation). ... Shade is the blocking of sunlight (in particular direct sunshine) by any object, and also the shadow created by that object. ...