Global Connections:
Forests of the World
Activity 2
What is a Forest?
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Objectives
Analyze different definitions of the term
forest.
Look for commonalities and differences.
Describe ways that culture affects
people's perceptions of forests.
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Searchable Key
Words





forest cultural meaning
forest cultural value
forest definition
forest symbolism
tree cultural value
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Background
Activity 2
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Activity 2 - Background
The word forest
can evoke an image
in Canada that is
different from
an image in Africa
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Activity 2 - Background
A more precise definition…
…is important when different regions or
countries communicate, conduct trade, or
discuss environmental or cultural issues with
each other.
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Activity 2 - Background
Official definitions of the term forest
often include:
 % of land that is covered by tree canopies (called forest
cover)
 minimum area of the land
 average tree height
 exclusions to the definition (sometimes dealing with how
the land is used)
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Activity 2 - Background
Remember…
• It is important to have a precise definition of
forest. The forests also hold significance for
people that no definition, which may be based on
cover or land use, can convey.
• Cultural and environmental values, history,
beliefs, and even income may influence a
person's view.
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Activity 2 - Background
Example, the Yuracaré people
The people in northern
Bolivia see and
understand the forest
as their home and as
the source of their
food. The Bolivian
Department of
Forestry views the
same forest as a rich
source of timber.
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Activity 2 - Background
Still other people see that forests as…
 a store of biological diversity
 a place for adventurous tourism
 a site for research
 a site for discovery
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Activity 2 - Background
Over time cultural perceptions of forests
can shift
When Europeans first settled in North America in
the 1600s and 1700s, the forest was described
as an obstacle to farming and civilization, and it
was viewed as a threatening place that harbored
dangerous animals and hostile people.
Today, it is seen as a provider of recreation and
inspiration, as well as a source of timber.
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Doing the activity
Activity 2
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Activity 2 – Doing the activity
Now, time to work!
Part A: Defining a Forest
How would you define…
TABLE?
PLANET?
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Activity 2 – Doing the activity
In groups of four:
How would you define…
BEAUTY?
RESPECT?
SUCESS?
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Activity 2 – Doing the activity
Discussion
1. What makes some words difficult to define?
2. What might happen when people have
different definitions of a particular word?
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Activity 2 – Doing the activity
How would you define…
FOREST?
Further, define each of the elements in your
definitions such as “tree” or “a lot”
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Activity 2 – Doing the activity
Discuss one of these definitions…
A Forest is…
1.
2.
Definition number
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
…a land that is used for growing and harvesting forest tree species.
…a large, densely wooded area that is found in a remote area with few
people.
…land on which the vegetation is dominated by trees, with the trees
providing 25 percent or greater canopy cover.
…any land that is capable of producing or has produced forest growth
or, if lacking forest growth, has evidence of a former forest and is not
now in other use.
…land under natural or planted stands of trees, whether productive or
not. This category includes land from which trees have been cleared but
will be reforested in the foreseeable future, but it excludes woodland or
forest used only for recreation purposes. Stands of permanent crops
such as rubber, fruit trees, or nut trees, are classified as agricultural
lands, not forestlands.
…land of more than 0.5 hectares (1 .2 acres), with a tree canopy cover
of more than 10 percent. The forest is not primarily under agricultural or
urban land use.
…a minimum area of land of 0.05–1 .0 hectares (1.2–2.4 acres) with tree
cover of more than 10–30 percent. The trees have the potential to reach
a minimum height of 2–5 meters (6.5–16 feet) at maturity.
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Activity 2 – Doing the activity
Discussion
1. Does the land have to be covered with trees to
be considered a forest?
2. Does the vegetation have to be natural to be
considered a forest?
3. Does the land have to be used for a particular
purpose to be considered a forest?
4. Can the land be used for recreation to be
considered a forest?
5. Does the land have to be a certain minimum
size to be considered a forest?
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Activity 2 – Doing the activity
Class results
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Activity 2 – Doing the activity
Comparing…
1. What do you notice about the definitions?
2. Why might there be more than one definition
for this term?
3. How might different definitions serve different
purposes?
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of
different definitions?
5. Why is it important to define the term forest?
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Activity 2 – Doing the activity
Global Forest Coverage
closed forest is “land covered by trees with
a canopy cover of more than 40 percent and
height exceeding 5 meters (16.5 ft)
open forest is “land covered by trees with a
canopy cover between 10 and 40 percent and
height exceeding 5 meters (16.5 ft)
fragmented forest is “mosaics of forest and
non-forest land.”
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)
includes natural forests and forest plantation
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Activity 2 – Doing the activity
Use the map to find a country with a closed forest
and another with an open or fragmented forest
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Activity 2 – Doing the activity
PART B: CONNOTATIONS
 How might a person’s culture or personal
experiences affect his or her definition of a
forest?
 For example, how might the definition be
influenced by whether one lives in an urban or
rural area?
 How might a person’s definition of the term
forest affect how he or she acts with respect to
the forest?
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Activity 2 – Doing the activity
Read the student page and discuss these
questions:
“What Do Forests Symbolize?”
1. What does each anecdote tell about the culture
or country?
2. What is the significance of forests to the people
in each anecdote?
3. How might the views from different people
affect the way they define the forest and act
with respect to the forest?
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Activity 2 – Doing the activity
 Search for information about how people view
forests in their own community or in another
country or region
 Use library materials, Internet resources,
personal contacts, or look through the “World
Forest Tour” cards
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Activity 2 – Doing the activity
Forest in other languages
Try to find the word for forest in the language of the
people living in the region that you researched.
floresta
forêt
森林
Wald
bos
лес
…
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Assessment
 Compare and contrast two different
definitions of the term forest.
 Include how the definitions differ in
terms of area or scope; of cultural,
environmental, or economic values;
and of whether the definitions might
serve different purposes?
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Enrichment
Activity 2
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Activity 2 –Enrichment – In the field
Create an anecdote…
…(such as the one on the student page) that
defines what a forest is for the region you
studied.
or…
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Activity 2 –Enrichment – In the field
…or study nearby forested area.
Observe it and see whether different definitions from the
activity apply to that area. The area does not have to be a
large forest, but it may simply be a group of trees on the
school campus, a nearby park, or a privately owned forest.
Have students decide whether the area would be called a
forest by a given definition.
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Activity 2 –Enrichment - Literature
 Look through literature for adjectives and
phrases used to describe forests, such as
“deep,” “dark,” or “majestic.”
 Analyze what those words indicate about
people’s feelings toward or relationship with,
forests.
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Activity 2 –Enrichment - Literature
“The Golden Bough”
 Look up James Frazer’s
classic book, which was first
published in 1890.
 It explores the role of trees in
the history of religion around
the world.
 Analyze Frazer’s viewpoint in
terms of its relevance today.
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Activity 2 – Enrichment - Technology
Technology
1. Explore how data are collected
classifying lands as forests.
2. Contact local planning
departments to find out:
or
for
highway
a) what resources are used locally for mapping, such
as GIS (geographic information systems), GPS
(global positioning systems), and satellite imagery
b) what Internet mapping resources are available.
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Activity 2 –Enrichment - Careers
Careers
1.Brainstorm
careers
that may rely on
definitions of forests.
2. Ask those people to
define the term forest
from the perspective
of their job.
geographers
…
fire
fighters
journalists
land-use
planners
FOREST
loggers
researchers
community
activists
forest
managers
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Resource
For additional sample survey questions, see
the “Perceptions of Forests” issue of the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
of the United Nations’ international journal
of forestry, Unasylva 54, no. 213 (2003/2)
http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/y9882e/y9882e00.htm
.
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