What type of environment did woolly mammoths primarily prefer over dense forests or arctic tundra?

The relatively dry, treeless mammoth steppe

The woolly mammoth thrived in a specific ecosystem known as the mammoth steppe. This vast grassland spanned across Eurasia and North America during the Pleistocene epoch. Although their range was enormous, the mammoths demonstrated a clear preference for the ecological conditions provided by the mammoth steppe, which was characterized as being relatively dry and notably treeless. This habitat provided the necessary abundance of grasses and sedges that formed the foundation of their strict herbivorous diet. They actively avoided areas dominated by dense forests or the truly unforgiving, icy conditions associated with arctic tundra, preferring the more productive, open grassland environment.