overstory
noun
over·sto·ry ˈō-vər-ˌstȯr-ē 
1
: the layer of foliage in a forest canopy
2
: the trees contributing to an overstory
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The narrative braid, meanwhile — the overstory — grows more tangled. 
Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2022 The loss of the overstory no longer kept the forest floor and streams in shade, warming cold-water fisheries. Matt Wyatt, San Antonio Express-News, 1 Dec. 2021 This reestablished overstory will shade and cool the creek, provide leaf litter, and improve the habitat for macroinvertebrates, fish, small mammals, birds, and the Rio Grande cutthroat trout. Wendy Altschuler, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2021 An overstory is the top foliage from multiple trees that combine to create an overhang or canopy under which people can walk or sit. Gloria Casas, chicagotribune.com, 17 June 2021 Also, the code calls for the buffer zone to include a double row of evergreen shrubs and a mixture of overstory and understory trees. al, 18 May 2021 And research suggests that industrially managed lands, which contain dense stands of uniformly aged trees and no canopy of mature overstory to cut wind speeds, can burn with greater intensity in wildfires. oregonlive, 31 Oct. 2020 Potential Fall 2020 hotspots: Areas with recent fires or logging activity, which remove overstory trees, letting browse species grow. Brian Lovett, Outdoor Life, 12 Aug. 2020 On one occasion a whole roasted sea bream hit the tables with soft skin, maybe dampened by its overstory of an otherwise colorful and enjoyable salad of radishes and cranberry beans. Mike Sula, Chicago Reader, 13 Dec. 2017 See More
Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2022 The loss of the overstory no longer kept the forest floor and streams in shade, warming cold-water fisheries. Matt Wyatt, San Antonio Express-News, 1 Dec. 2021 This reestablished overstory will shade and cool the creek, provide leaf litter, and improve the habitat for macroinvertebrates, fish, small mammals, birds, and the Rio Grande cutthroat trout. Wendy Altschuler, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2021 An overstory is the top foliage from multiple trees that combine to create an overhang or canopy under which people can walk or sit. Gloria Casas, chicagotribune.com, 17 June 2021 Also, the code calls for the buffer zone to include a double row of evergreen shrubs and a mixture of overstory and understory trees. al, 18 May 2021 And research suggests that industrially managed lands, which contain dense stands of uniformly aged trees and no canopy of mature overstory to cut wind speeds, can burn with greater intensity in wildfires. oregonlive, 31 Oct. 2020 Potential Fall 2020 hotspots: Areas with recent fires or logging activity, which remove overstory trees, letting browse species grow. Brian Lovett, Outdoor Life, 12 Aug. 2020 On one occasion a whole roasted sea bream hit the tables with soft skin, maybe dampened by its overstory of an otherwise colorful and enjoyable salad of radishes and cranberry beans. Mike Sula, Chicago Reader, 13 Dec. 2017 See More Word History
First Known Use
1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1