Editing Forest (section)

== Forests in Fantasy ==
From Tolkien to Martin, forests are one of the stock settings of fantasy. Forests tend to be the most prolific biome in "good" Kingdoms, with forests reaching even the areas around castles despite the fact that, A) This heavily limits potential farmland, and while it does promote game and forestry, it becomes a hindrance to any large scale building projects or settling space. B) Forests provide cover for invading armies, hiding places for dissidents & brigands as well as breeding grounds for all sorts of [[owlbear|monsters]]. Also forests can often be pleasant places.

Forests also tend to have different depictions in High and Low fantasy. In Low Fantasy, their depiction might be closer to what Rome experienced in the Battle of Teutoberg Forest; an endless and dark expanse of trees from which hostile natives can emerge out of nowhere and slaughter any would-be trespassers. Whereas in High Fantasy, magic forests exist that can have dryads, ents, and mobile trees… that will also slaughter any would-be trespassers but may make exceptions for tree-huggers. More generally there is a distinction between Good and Bad forests. The former are airy with gentle casts of light through a vivid canopy, lush plant-life in bloom, clear paths, songbirds and butterflies. The latter are dark and foreboding, with trees with rough bark and gnarled branches and are overgrown with thorny bushes and vines and the forest floor covered with splintered logs, jagged rocks and predators on the prowl.

Another important point of forestry in fantasy is that of destruction. Men and orcs with axes, saws and maybe even steam powered machines levelling swaths of forest for timber, firewood or to clear land for strip mining and otherwise ravaging the landscape and leaving denuded wastes is a good way of establishing villains. Yes, this is Ferngully shit. Yes, it works narratively. 

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[[category:Fantasy]]