The Timber Terror Haunted Woodland Classification Scale is a system for describing the severity and type of frightening (to little ponies) phenomena that are likely to be encountered in a woodland area. It was originally created by the explorer Timber Terror as a way of delineating the relative dangers of various parts of the Everfree Forest, but has been more generally adapted for use in all woodlands since the return of oceans and frequent rain to Equus and the resulting regrowth of many forests around the planet.
The classification scale places woodlands into one of several grades:
- Grade 0: No paranormal activity. Ponies are unlikely to encounter frightening or dangerous magical phenomena.
- Grade 1: Low-grade sense of foreboding beyond normal expectations. No actual frightening or dangerous phenomena.
- Grade 2: Sense of foreboding or fear. Low-grade auditory illusions or distractions.
- Grade 3: Distinct sense of fear of entry. Auditory and visual illusions.
- Grade 4: Distinct sense of fear. Auditory and visual illusions, or other magical effects or entities objectively dangerous enough to cause injury if caution is not observed.
- Grade 5: Strong sense of fear. Auditory and visual illusions strong enough to quickly erode the victim's grasp on reality, with risk of mental health injury severe enough to require psychiatric treatment, or magical effects or entities dangerous enough to cause severe injury or death.
- Grade 6, 6+: Intense fear or horror usually prevents ponies from entering at all. Severe mental health hazards (including the risk of compelling suicide), or magical effects or entities so dangerous that survival in this area for any length of time is unlikely for most ponies.
Most haunted forests somewhere between grades 1 and 3 on this scale. It is more usual for only a few particularly haunted parts of a forest to receive a grade of 4 or higher, rather than the whole forest.
Grade 5, 6, or 6+ woodlands are rare outside of the Everfree. Where they do occur, they are usually very small areas (often no larger than single groves) associated with some sort of great past tragedy. Areas of grade 5 or higher have tended to become less common with time, owing to Harmonia and most other states on Equus adopting policies of exorcising these areas when possible in the interests of public safety.