Why some trees never come back after rainforests are cleared

TL;DR - Regenerated rainforests retain lower tree diversity than old-growth forests even after 120 years. The finding suggests that clearing can cause exceptionally persistent ecological losses.

• Tree diversity recovers more slowly than overall forest regrowth.
• Some tree species may not naturally return after clearance.
• The provided summary does not specify the study’s location, methods, or measured diversity gap.