To convert land into forest by planting trees or allowing trees to grow; to create a wooded area where none existed before.
From Old French 'aforestar,' combining 'a-' (to) and 'forest' (forest). Medieval kings used this term when they declared uncultivated land to be royal forest for hunting and timber.
Medieval kings claimed they were 'afforesting' land to protect hunting grounds, but really they were seizing people's farmland—the word sounds noble but it was often about power, not environmental conservation!
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