The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) defines “forest” as a portion of
land bigger than half a hectare (5 000m2) with trees higher than 5 meters and a
tree canopy cover of more than 10 %, or with trees that will be able to meet
these criteria.
It does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban
land use.
More:
Primary forests are forests of native tree species, where
there are no clearly visible indications of human activities and the ecological
processes are not significantly disturbed.
Modified natural forests are forests of naturally regenerated
native tree species in places with indications of human activities.
Semi-natural forests are forests of native tree species,
established through planting, seeding or assisted natural regeneration.
Forest plantations are forested areas artificially
established by planting or seeding. The trees usually belong to the same specie
(whether native or introduced), have the same age and are regularly spaced. The
objective of forest plantations can be the production of wood and non- wood
goods (productive forest plantations) or the provision of ecosystem services
(protective forest plantations).
Other wooded land refers to land with trees higher than 5
meters but with a tree canopy cover of only 5 to 10 %. It also refers to land
with a combined cover of shrubs, bushes and trees of more than 10%. It does not
include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use.
Other land with tree cover refers to lands that are not
classified as forests because they are predominantly under agricultural or urban
land use, even though they meet the area, height and canopy cover set for
forests. They include groups of trees and scattered trees in agricultural
landscapes, parks, gardens and around buildings, as well as tree plantations
established mainly for other purposes than wood, such as fruit orchards.
