Crossword Genius

Military bases around both ends of enormous woodlands (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

forests

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'woodlands' is the definition.
('forest' can be a synonym of 'woodland')

'military bases around both ends of enormous' is the wordplay.
'military bases' becomes 'forts' (forting is a kind of basing. I am not sure about the 'military' bit.).
'around' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'both ends of' suggests removing the centre (only the letters at each end of the word).
'enormous' with its middle removed is 'es'.
'forts' placed around 'es' is 'FORESTS'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for forests that I've seen before include "Large, densely-wooded area" , "Densely wooded areas" , "Large woods" , "Woodlands" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.