Wiktionary
n. (context forestry English) A (l/en: forest) that has attained great age without significant (l/en: disturbance).
Wikipedia
An old-growth forest — also termed primary forest, virgin forest, primeval forest, late seral forest, or (in Britain) ancient woodland — is a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance and thereby exhibits unique ecological features and might be classified as a climax community. Old-growth features include diverse tree-related structures that provide diverse wildlife habitat that increases the bio-diversity of the forested ecosystem. The concept of diverse tree structure includes multi-layered canopies and canopy gaps, greatly varying tree heights and diameters, and diverse tree species and classes and sizes of woody debris.
Old-growth forests are economically valuable, and logging of these forests has been a point of contention between the logging industry and environmentalists.
Usage examples of "old-growth forest".
What had once been an old-growth forest, with ancient oaks, horse chestnuts and elms, was now a field of stumps, their timber felled for either fuel or defense.
Preserving old-growth forest to help the spotted owl means Kirtland’.
Preserving old-growth forest to help the spotted owl means Kirtland's warbler and other species are deprived of the new-growth forest they prefer.
We danced down the spongy path into another stretch of old-growth forest, and there, amidst the high spruce, was a dead campfire banked up with litter: empty beer and wine bottles, styrofoam cups and spoons, chicken bones, a Saran Wrap box, discarded empty bags of Korn Curls, Mars bars.
But there has to be a way to achieve the technology and the industry and the jobs and not completely destroy that old-growth forest in the process.
The landscape was a checkerboard of old-growth forest alternating with patches that had been logged in the previous century.
To her surprise, minutes passed and she still saw nothing but old-growth forest on every side.
Every above-ground inch was covered with bushes and spindly trees, all vying for pockets of sunlight unclaimed by the towering old-growth forest.
The enemyall that he knew for certain was that they were here in his patch of pristine, old-growth forest, and that their numbers were equal to his.
The size of the property was impressive, and most of it was covered with dense, old-growth forest.
If I don't quite look at them straight, I can almost imagine that the snowy branches behind the panoramic windows of the lobby are old-growth forest rather than well-clipped hemlock.
There was virtually no old-growth forest left in her Ontario, but there was plenty here.