Canopy

This article is about the general definition of "canopy". For the investment firm, see Canopy Group.

A canopy is an overhead roof or structure that provides shade or other shelter.

In ecology, a canopy is the overhead shade and layers of foliage provided by trees and shrubs in forests and woodlands. A canopy may have a single layer, or many. The uppermost layer in a forest is called the crown canopy.

By extension, it also refers to the sportive way of ecotourists moving through parts of forests (mainly South American rainforests) in order to appreciate treelife at the upper level. The "airpath" is linked by steel cables and has small platforms to rest or look at the sights, similar to a chairlift.

The word "canopy" comes from the Greek "konopeion", which means "a bed with mosquito netting".

Other meanings of canopy, all derived from the above definition, include:

• the transparent enclosure over the cockpit of an aircraft, generally when such may be opened for access to the cockpit, and which may or may not include the windshield (the forward transparent portion) as part of the canopy. A canopy of this type if usually found on low or mid wing aircraft and on gliders.
• the lightweight cloth portion of a parachute