Several parts combine into one character.

林 is two trees side by side — 木 + 木. The cleanest demonstration in the entire script of how Chinese encodes plurality: don't invent a new symbol, just draw the picture twice. One tree (木) is a tree; two trees (林) is a grove or wooded area; three trees (森, the next entry) is a thick forest. Identical across 繁體 / 新字体 / 简体.

This "doubling" pattern shows up in many compound characters and is one of the most efficient learning shortcuts. Once you know 木, you essentially know 林 and 森 for free.

Mandarin: lín, rising 2nd tone. 森林 (sēnlín, forest — note 森 + 林 stacks both forest characters), 树林 (shùlín, woods), 园林 (yuánlín, gardens and woods — Suzhou's classical 园林 are UNESCO sites). Also a very common surname — 林 family lineages spread throughout Fujian, Taiwan, and Korean diaspora.

Japanese: on-reading リン (rin) in 森林 (shinrin, forest), 山林 (sanrin, mountains and forests), 林業 (ringyō, forestry industry). Kun-reading はやし (hayashi) — a smaller wooded area, often man-planted. Also one of the commonest Japanese surnames: 林 (Hayashi), 小林 (Kobayashi, "small forest"), 林田 (Hayashida), 中林 (Nakabayashi). The "forest bathing" practice 森林浴 (shinrin-yoku) — now a global wellness trend — uses both characters together.

Note the kun-reading split between 林 (はやし, a grove of trees) and 森 (もり, a deeper forest). Native speakers feel the size and density difference even when both translate to "forest" in English.

Memory aid: two trees standing together — a grove. The picture is the meaning, doubled.