English dictionary - nature (1 Viewer)

[locustella]

Maybe such thread is inappropriate in this forum, but perhaps someone would find time to explain differences between these terms for the beginning:

forest
woods

moor
peatbog
(and moss)

marsh
swamp
(and maybe mire, bog, fen)

Thank you in advance.

 

[davercox]

Well, here's a quote from Oliver Rackham for a start :

"Learned writers often use the term bog to mean wetlands with acid peat, fen for those with neutral or calcareous peat, and marsh for those without peat. These are important but not necessarily vernacular distinctions."

Moss is a northern (particularly Lancashire) word, I believe; as a mere southerner I'll leave that alone.

Swamps occur a lot in the USA, hopefully someone over there will tell you what it means.

Forest is a word that has lost its meaning, pretty much: it meant an area of land subject to the deer forest laws of the Norman and Plantagenet kings. Many forests have few trees: Mendip is an example in southern England. Generally in England now, most large areas that are called "forests" are really plantations, often of unrelieved alien conifers.

Woods, I guess, are areas of trees subject to regular management such as coppicing and pollarding; of course such management has declined over the last 100 years or so.

Hope someone else can give more authoritative definitions for you.

 

[dantheman]

In normal conversational english in the UK, 'forests' refer to larger areas of trees than 'woods'.

You wouldn't normally call an area of woodland of less than, say, 50 Hectares a forest.

Moor - moorland - with heather or grasses. In the UK now restricted to higher ground which is not in current agricultural (crop) use - although may be used for grazing.

Swamp - not used in the UK much, but in the USA or other parts of the world a relatively impenetrable (due to vegetation/very wet and saturated ground) area.

Marsh - often sedge based in the uk. Or grass.

Mire/bog/fen - technical terms for types of marsh depending on area/other factors.


Actually common usage probably a bit of a nightmare.

 

[locustella]

Thank you.

 

[Xenospiza]

On wikipedia, the difference between swamp (forested) and marsh (herbaceous) is explained well.
In Britain, a swamp would be called a carr (as in alder carr, willow carr).

For moorland, heath and mire I won't copy the wikipedia entries!

 

[chris butterworth]

Northwest UK (mainly the area covering the northernmost Welsh Marches to Stn. Lancashire ) use 'moss' to designate the same habitat as 'fen' in East Anglia. Most is non-calcarious peat converted to agriculture. Originally it would have been a mix of reed / sedge swamp, open water, alder / willow carr and 'islands' of higher ground. Just to make it more confusing the area of mossland, mainly used as rough grazing, on the Wirral is, locally, known as 'The Carr's'.

Chris

 

[locustella]

Do anybody know, how is called
- broken tree (standing trunk of a tree):
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plik:Puszcza_białowieska_fragmenty_rezerwatu_ścisłego_a2.JPG
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plik:Rezerwat_ochrony_scisłej_BPN_10.jpg
this form is similar to stag but has no branches, at least usually and has no upper part
- roots of fallen tree + remaining hole in the ground + trunk, but a trunk is not so important like roots and hole
meaning of such term would be similar to windthrow, but maybe other one exists
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plik:Forêt_de_Soignes_03.JPG

 

[Richard Prior]

Do anybody know, how is called
- broken tree (standing trunk of a tree):
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plik:Puszcza_białowieska_fragmenty_rezerwatu_ścisłego_a2.JPG
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plik:Rezerwat_ochrony_scisłej_BPN_10.jpg
this form is similar to stag but has no branches, at least usually and has no upper part

I suppose we'd call that the stump, OED defines it thus: "The bottom part of a tree left projecting from the ground after most of the trunk has fallen or been cut down."
Personally though, I wouldn't use the word if a broken-off tree trunk was taller than me, though I can't think of an alternative word for the moment....

 

[dantheman]

Dead tree ...

I don't think we have enough trees left to have a specific term in ordinary english!

Actually 'standing dead wood' is probably the technical term that would be used in conservation/management plan terms.

The 'root stock', upended tree roots ? - probably there is a technical term for that too ...

 

[delia todd]

The 'root stock', upended tree roots ? - probably there is a technical term for that too ..

Yes, there is.... but I can't think of it for the moment either!

 

[fugl]

Personally though, I wouldn't use the word if a broken-off tree trunk was taller than me, though I can't think of an alternative word for the moment....

The common American word for a "tall stump" is "snag".

 

[locustella]

snag tot stag ... But snags in most of images have branches (withered).

 

[Peter C.]

The common American word for a "tall stump" is "snag".

Yes, that's our usage as well - the point is not whether it still has branches or not (word applies still to a dead tree if it has a few branches) but that is still standing.

Most often, but not exclusively, stump refers to what remains after a tree is deliberately cut down.

 

[fugl]

Yes, that's our usage as well - the point is not whether it still has branches or not (word applies still to a dead tree if it has a few branches) but that is still standing.

Indeed. A useful word.

 

[locustella]

Thank you. But what about roots of fallen tree and remaining hole ? There is no word for that really ?

 

[fugl]

Thank you. But what about roots of fallen tree and remaining hole ? There is no word for that really ?

I don't know if there is a single word for the 2 things together--

http://berkscountry.readingeagle.com/fallen-trees-provided-habitat-for-wildlife/

 

[King Edward]

- roots of fallen tree + remaining hole in the ground + trunk, but a trunk is not so important like roots and hole
meaning of such term would be similar to windthrow, but maybe other one exists
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plik:Forêt_de_Soignes_03.JPG

'Rootplate' is used for the roots + soil (both uprooted and when still in the ground). "Pit and mound microtopography" for the consequent uneven soil surface.

 

[locustella]

But this sounds like vocabulary of foresters or other professionals, not common language. Don't you know how elves called such thing ?

 

[Nutcracker]

But this sounds like vocabulary of foresters or other professionals, not common language. Don't you know how elves called such thing ?

Unfortunately elves are now extinct (or very probably are so), and their vocabulary wasn't adequately recorded prior to that :-C

 

[King Edward]

But this sounds like vocabulary of foresters or other professionals, not common language. Don't you know how elves called such thing ?

Sorry, only just saw your post. I don't know of a particular term in common use (by elves or anyone else).