When Is a Forest Not a Forest?

Numerous published and legitimate definitions offorestexist. Most can be grouped into three categories-thosethat describe administrative units,thosethat describeland cover, and those that mean a type of land use-and then there are some miscellaneous types. Definitions vary widelyfrom country to countryand even among US federalagencies,sometimes withlegaland policy ramifications. Agreement on the meaning of such terms as forest and forestland is a logical first step in reaching agreement on natural resource problems. Threshold values-minimum area, strip width, canopy cover, and tree height-are especially important for identifying classes of land.