Tree outside forest
Trees outside the forest are defined by default, as all trees excluded from the definition of forest and other wooded lands. Trees outside the forest are located on "other lands", mostly on farmlands and built-up areas, both in rural and urban areas. A large number of TOF consist of planted or domesticated trees. TOF include trees in agroforestry systems, orchards and small woodlots. They may grow in meadows, pastoral areas and on farms, or along rivers, canals and roadsides, or in towns, gardens and parks. Some of the land use systems include alley cropping and shifting cultivation, permanent tree cover crops (e.g. coffee, cocoa), windbreaks, hedgerows, home gardens and fruit-tree plantations.
The significance of trees outside the forest (TOF) can be observed in several contexts. In countries with low forest cover, TOF resources constitute the main source of wood and non-wood "forest" products, even though trees may be so scattered that the maps produced by FRA 2000 indicate that no forests exist. Trees are found on agricultural lands, in densely populated areas, in fruit-tree plantations and in home gardens, which often cover a large proportion of the land. In urban areas trees provide important aesthetic and environmental services in addition to providing shade and greatly increasing the livability of cities. Communities, farmers and herders who do not have access to forests diversify their production and protect their land by maintaining various tree systems on their farms.
last updated: Tuesday, November 4, 2008