'forest-protecting' originates from English, specifically formed from the noun 'forest' (Old French 'forest', from Medieval Latin 'foresta') and the present participle of the verb 'protect' (from Latin 'protegere', where 'pro-' meant 'before' and 'tegere' meant 'to cover').

'forest' entered English from Old French 'forest' (from Medieval Latin 'foresta'), while 'protect' derives from Latin 'protegere' via Old French and Middle English; the hyphenated compound 'forest-protecting' is a modern English formation combining these elements.

Initially the components referred separately to 'forest' and 'protect'; when combined as a compound they straightforwardly mean 'protecting forests', and this basic sense has been retained in modern usage.