Their our four major components of forest structure include: tree size/age distribution, vertical foliage distribution, horizontal canopy distribution, and dead wood.
Tree size is essential to knowing the disturbance history of a forest, if all the trees are small you know some had to destroy them recently, if some are big and a bunch small you have to wonder why some survived.
Vertical foliage distributions affects sunlight absorption, wildlife habitat, and the microclimate habitat of areas in a forest. When vertical foliage is at a high density and blocks sunlight, it makes shrubs and forest flowers less likely on the ground, which birds need to nest, this means less plants and birds.
Horizontal canopy distribution plays and important role in habitat regeneration. Where is a lot of sun able to reach the ground through the horizontal canopy layer, forest can regenerate trees and plants. An example would be when ancient tree falls down enable sunlight to hit the floor and the "race to the top to begin".
Dead wood important for nutrient cycling, wildlife habitat, water storage, and soil development. Old forests have lots of dead wood of course, but the most dead wood can be in a forest that has had a disturbance with young trees. Because something happened to allow a regeneration of trees.
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