ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Old-growth forest

Okay kiddo, an old-growth forest is like a big, huge backyard filled with really old trees that have grown and lived for a very, very long time. Think of this forest like a really, really old grandpa or grandma, who has been around for a while and knows a lot about the world.

Now, in this special forest, the trees are really tall and their trunks are really thick. They’ve been around for so long that they’ve had time to grow really strong and sturdy. In fact, they’re so big that they can even provide homes for lots of other plants and animals.

There are all sorts of creatures that live in an old-growth forest, like animals that crawl on the ground, climb up the trees, and even fly through the air. Some of them are really unique and you might not see them anywhere else.

The cool thing about this forest is that it doesn’t look like the ones you might have seen in a city park, or near your house because they have been left alone for hundreds of years, without human intervention.

Overall, an old-growth forest is like a really special and valuable part of nature that we need to take care of so that it can continue to provide homes for plants and animals for many years to come.