FRA 2005 - national reporting tables

Specification of National Reporting Table T1

T1 Extent of Forest and Other wooded land

T1.1 Rationale

The information on the extent of 'Forest' and 'Other wooded land' is necessary for assessing state and change in forest resources on a global basis and for monitoring trends. It also establishes links between national and global classification systems.

T1.2 Specification

Units and reporting years

Unit of reporting	1000 hectares
Area to which reported figures refer	Total area of country
Reporting years	1990, 2000 and 2005

Categories and definitions

Category	Definition
Forest	Land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees higher than 5 meters and a canopy cover of more than 10 percent, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ. It does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use. Explanatory notes Forest is determined both by the presence of trees and the absence of other predominant land uses. The trees should be able to reach a minimum height of 5 meters in situ. Areas under reforestation that have not yet but are expected to reach a canopy cover of 10 percent and tree height of 5 m are included, as are temporarily unstocked areas, resulting from human intervention or natural causes that are expected to regenerate. Includes areas with bamboo and palms provided that height and canopy cover criteria are reached. Includes forest roads, firebreaks and other small open areas; forest in national parks, nature reserves and other protected areas such as those of specific scientific, historical, cultural or spiritual interest. Includes windbreaks, shelterbelts and corridors of trees with an area of more than 0.5 ha and width of more than 20 m. Includes plantations primarily used for forestry or protection purposes, such as rubber-wood plantations and cork oak stands. Excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems, for example in fruit plantations and agroforestry systems. The term also excludes trees in urban parks and gardens.
Other wooded land	Land not classified as ¿Forest¿, spanning more than 0.5 hectares; with trees higher than 5 meters and a canopy cover of 5-10 percent, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ; or with a combined cover of shrubs, bushes and trees above 10 percent. It does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use.
Other land	All land that is not classified as ¿Forest¿ or ¿Other Wooded Land¿. Explanatory notes Includes agricultural land, meadows and pastures, build-on areas, barren land, etc. If a country has areas with meadows and pastures that are difficult to classify whether they should belong to ¿Forest¿/¿Other wooded land¿ or to ¿Other land¿, the country should explain the criteria used and how this classification is done. Includes areas classified under the sub-category ¿Other land with tree cover¿.
Other land with three cover (Subordinated to ¿Other land¿)	Land classified as ¿Other land¿, spanning more than 0.5 hectares with a canopy cover of more than 10 percent of trees able to reach a height of 5 meters at maturity. Explanatory notes Includes groups of trees and scattered trees in agricultural landscapes, parks, gardens and around buildings, provided that the canopy cover criteria is met. Includes tree plantations established mainly for other purposes than wood, such as fruit orchards and palm plantations.
Inland water bodies	Inland water bodies generally include major rivers, lakes and water reservoirs.

Current and past definitions are available onFRA 2005 Terms ans Definitions

Reporting table template

FRA 2005 categories	Area (1000 hectares)
FRA 2005 categories	1990	2000	2005
Forest
Other wooded land
Other land
...of which with tree cover
Inland water bodies
Total for country

Internal consistency

The sum of areas from these four main categories constitute the total area of the country and should match with internationally reported and validated national area, as maintained by the UN Statistical Division. (See Guidelines for Country Reporting).

The figures of total area of 'Forest' and 'Other wooded land' as presented in this table constitute the basis for reporting in many of the other reporting tables. For example, they should match with corresponding figures of total area in tables T2, T3 and T4.