The "true" true forest is usually surrounded by an area of tall grasses, bushes, and short, young trees that thrive in the sunlight-rich area. Inside the forest itself, areas that were recently devastated by forest fires could be full of dead and blackened trunks, with life starting to return in some places.
An area settled by ants or termites could have weak, sickly trees whose roots and trunks are full of holes, with termite mounds rising between them.