Layers of a Lowland Forest

Emergent Layer

• The emergent layer includes trees that grow even taller than the canopy, often over thirty meters, and tower over the bush. These trees are more spread out and do not form a canopy.

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Canopy Layer

• The canopy is the roof of the bush. The trees in this layer form dense foliage that filters both rain and sunlight for the layers below. They typically grow to around twenty meters tall. 

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Sub-Canopy Layer

• The plants and trees in this layer normally grow to around ten meters in height.

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Shrub Layer

• The undisturbed native bush this layer is very thick with plants, making it hard to walk through easily. The plants in this layer are no taller than about five meters. There are usually lots of animals in this layer, insects and insect-eating birds.

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Forest Floor Layer

• The forest floor is typically a damp place, where mosses, ferns and fungi thrive. Multitudes of animals live in this layer, mainly invertebrates. Many birds, and the short-tailed bat, also spend a lot of time on the forest floor, hunting these invertebrates.

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