The relationship of the Romans to the forest reflected their basic view of nature. On the one hand, the forest was a dark and dismal place, the haunt of wild animals and the questionable gods who held sway there (Plin. nat. 12.3; Sen. epist. 4.41.3). Silvanus, Pan/Faunus and the fauns reduced people to terror with their weird voices. The Romans often used adjectives such as ferus (wild), foedus (horrible), horridus, obscurus or occultus to describe the forests. The historian Tacitus (c. ad 55–120) described Germany as a country of terrible forests and dismal swamps (Germ. 5.1). The forests were seen as the primeval starting point of human life (Vitr. 2.1.1), and as the habitat of barbarians who were at a low stage of civilisation (Lucr. 5.948ff.). The forests were moreover a strategic challenge, particularly in Gaul, Germany and Britain, since the enemy there could withdraw into them and lay ambushes, as was done in the battle of Teutoburg Forest in ad 9. Hence, military advances into these areas necessarily involved the massive felling of trees (Caes. Gall. 3.28–9; Lucan. 3.394ff.).

On the other hand, the forest was a piece of nature's beauty (locus amoenus), a pleasant place to linger under shady trees. This could involve the public forest (silva), a protected grove (lucus) or, in particular, a private piece of woodland belonging to an estate (nemus). Here the forest might serve for relaxation and conversation during the hunt (Hor. epist. 1.4.4–5; Plin. epist. 1.6.2, 2.8.1, 5.6.7–8).