Forest, Grove
noun
The kanji and the word are exactly the same. That means they share meanings as well.
はやし
Since this word is made up of a single kanji it uses the kun'yomi reading. You've already learned this reading with the kanji, though, so you should be able to read this.
あの林にはログハウスがたくさんあります。
There are many log houses in that forest.
虫がたくさんいたので、林からは早々に出ましたよ。
I left the forest early as there were a lot of bugs.
竹の林の中で、竹の子が土から出るのを見たんです。
I saw bamboo shoots coming out of the soil in the bamboo forest.