Will the elves from "Scars of Honor" be in the forest? if yes, something like
natural connection: elves gain x% bonus magic regeneration or deal more magic damage.
Now about "but could they be less woody?" maybe elves a way to vary would be with a more multicultural theme having forest elves, sea elves or sand elves something similar to what happens in the story of "The Elder Scrolls" of course we can start the game just having the forest elves and only then, in a future expansion, come the sea elves, and so on.