Into The Woods

[Pomegranate]

To me it would seem that the case is pretty much exactly as you saw it - the woods with significance are drawn, others are not. One reason could be the thing you mentioned in your first post, Lalwende. For if the woodlands were extensive, as can be assumed, in the format of the "official" maps (I'm assuming the Finnish versions are pretty much the same as the English ones, only the names translated) drawing them all in would've made the map seriously messy. If the maps were in different form - say, for example, that the plains, woods, cities were differentiated by colours instead of little drawings - it would be easier to show the extent of the woodlands. In this format, which is rather unpractical for actual "whole image" purposes, it's better to leave the woods undrawn to keep the map understandable and clear. I think a similar effect can be affecting the hills - I'm pretty sure not all the land outside the main mountain ranges is just flat, but it's just not worth drawing little mountains all over the map.

[Mithalwen]

I think there are two issues here one of which is and has been reasonably explained - not all woodlands are shown due to the scale of the map. It seems that only the largest/densest/ most significant tracts of trees are shown. On the main map for examply Woody End is missing as are the Firienwood and Druadan Forest which do appear in the enlarged map of Rohan, Gondor and Mordor. Barbara Strachey's wonderful maps pick up on every detail and makes educated guesses. I am sure it was a question of space. We know that Ithilien had lovely woods and the Shire I imagine had a similar landscape to the shires Tolkien knew. Cultivated land with hedgerows and copses between fields ane hursts of trees in some of them. Not densely forested but very tree-y.

The other issue which I am spectacularly unqualified to answer having dropped Geography at 13 (which was a little while ago and we only did Glaciated Highlands and the Borneo Sumba anyway) is how land which which was heavily forested has become not so and remained so despite the absence of population and agriculture or large herds of ruminant animals. I know that the Australian rainforest actually needs the occasional forest fire to regenerate so even if Sauron's force burned the lands of Eriador when Ost in Edhil was destroyed and Rivendell besieges I can't quite see why the trees wouldn't have made more of a return given that the climate wasn't hostile.

[Inziladun]

I pretty much agree with what others have said: the fact that "forests" weren't all over the maps doesn't necessarily indicate an absence of trees, except in cases where the bareness of the land was specifically described, such as the Brown Lands and Eregion.
There are trees everywhere in the area in which I live, but my community isn't known as being in a "forest".

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

I know that the Australian rainforest actually needs the occasional forest fire to regenerate so even if Sauron's force burned the lands of Eriador when Ost in Edhil was destroyed and Rivendell besieges I can't quite see why the trees wouldn't have made more of a return given that the climate wasn't hostile.

There's a mention of that very condition in ROTK Appendix A. The Witch-king might have had a hand in somehow altering the climate there.

It is said that Angmar was for a time subdued by the Elvenfolk coming from Lindon: and from Rivendell....It was at this time that the Stoors that had dwelt in the Angle (between Hoarwell and Loudwater) fled west and south, because of the wars, and the dread of Angmar, and because the land and clime of Eriador, especially in the east, worsened and became unfriendly.

The Angle wasn't too far northwest of Eregion. I wonder if the Witch-king was really behind it, or if that was just what people thought was the easiest explanation.

[Mithalwen]

Interesting, never really noticed that - thanks Inzil.

Maybe... but the Elves and the Rangers (who also lived in the Angle later) must have had some degree of cultivation...Rivndell may have been protected by the powers that dwellt there. Maybe some sort of acid rain?

Where I live is called a Forest but in the sense of a hunting forest so apart from the plantations(Enclosures we call em) they aren't so densly forested - woods separated by heathland which is maintained by grazing animals....