I think everything here is pretty solid. The composition is as elaborate as it needs to be and allows the forest ambience and beat to carry this track. The novelty of this idea also really helps it stand out in this jam's submissions.

All of this is fine, but I like to be critical and I dare say this could be a bit bolder. For example, you have your string section, but why? It's mixed way lower than the beat and the ambience, and chords change at the same pace as your funky drone, so it's a sonic downgrade from the funky pad that you began the piece with.

You chose to put a vinyl crackle in that section, which suggests a sort of retro aesthetic and perhaps this moment is intended to be a flashback. So why not add a bit of tape / vinyl distortion to the strings so that they feel like a trip to the past too? After that, why not take it another step further? Why not mix the strings in the foreground and pan them in all directions (+ doing some other sound design stuff) to make you FEEL like you're in the middle of the string orchestra? In the middle of HISTORY, metaphorically speaking.

Sorry to go on this diatribe and you don't have to follow my direction or agree with me, but you are skilled in production and you can push your ideas further. None of what I suggested takes any more compositional or production chops than you have already demonstrated. I just want you to encourage you to take creative musical decisions and to be intentional with what you make.

I really like it! :D It's very different from what I've heard until now, and it gives a pretty serene and interesting atmosphere. I like that you included a great variety of background sounds that give it a more forest-like atmosphere.

Super creative submission, both in concept and in sound. It's also very beautiful and conveyed the forest atmosphere really well. Great job, I enjoyed listening to it a lot!

What beautiful imagery you create with this song! I really liked your words “listening to its history”. The drum samples you used give a lively atmosphere to the peaceful beauty of the forest’s ambience. It feels like all the birds and bugs in your ambient sounds are talking to each other and harmonizing with the trees. The melody used by the flute and the strings is well-written and had me vibing through it. Nice work and thank you for sharing!

It's cool that you take a very different direction from most other submissions! The sounds fit together really well and the production quality is good in my oppinion. I would have wished for a bit more variety in the writing, but you do a good job adding and subtracting layers so that the same musical idea retains interest over time while the track still flows naturally, which isn't so easy either.  Good work :)