What is the effect of vegetation on UHF and microwave signals?

UHF and microwave signals have very short wavelengths. Leaves, branches, and other vegetation contain a significant amount of water. When high-frequency RF signals encounter the water in vegetation, the RF energy is absorbed and converted into trace amounts of heat, greatly reducing the signal's strength. Distractors like "Amplification" are physically impossible for passive objects like trees. "Knife-edge diffraction" usually happens when signals bend over sharp ridges or building edges, not scattered leaves. "Polarization rotation" is typically caused by the ionosphere or certain reflections, not directly by passing through a forest canopy.