clear-cut
	Cutting every tree in a given area, regardless of species or size; an appropriate harvest method for some species; can be destructive if not carefully controlled.
closed canopy
	A forest where tree crowns spread over 20 percent of the ground; has the potential for commercial timber harvests.
debt-for-nature swap
	Forgiveness of international debt in exchange for nature protection in developing countries. Environmental groups and nongovernmental organizations often pay banks to write off uncollectable debts of developing countries at a steep discount in exchange for a promise by the debtor country to establish nature preserves.
desertification
	Denuding and degrading a once-fertile land, initiating a desert-producing cycle that feeds on itself and causes long-term changes in soil, climate, and biota of an area.
feral
	A domestic animal that has taken up a wild existence.
forest management
	Scientific planning and administration of forest resources for sustainable harvest, multiple use, regeneration, and maintenance of a healthy biological community.
fuelwood
	Branches, twigs, logs, wood chips, and other wood products harvested for use as fuel.
industrial timber
	Trees used for lumber, plywood, veneer, particleboard, chipboard, and paper; also called roundwood.
land reform
	Democratic redistribution of landownership to recognize the rights of those who actually work the land to a fair share of the products of their labor.
milpa agriculture
	An ancient farming system in which small patches of tropical forests are cleared and perennial polyculture agriculture practiced and is then followed by many years of fallow to restore the soil; also called swidden agriculture.
mixed perennial polyculture
	Growing a mixture of different perennial crop species (where the same plant persists for more than one year) together in the same plot; imitates the diversity of a natural system and is often more stable and more suitable for sustainable agriculture than monoculture of annual plants.
monoculture forestry
	Reforestation projects involving large plantations of single-species, single-use, and intensive cropping.
open canopy
	A forest where tree crowns cover less than 20 percent of the ground; also called woodland.
open range
	Unfenced, natural grazing lands; includes woodland as well as grassland.
pasture
	Enclosed domestic meadows or managed grazing lands.
selective cutting
	Harvesting only mature trees of certain species and size; usually more expensive than clear-cutting, but it is less disruptive for wildlife and often better for forest regeneration.
strip-cutting
	Harvesting trees in strips narrow enough to minimize edge effects and to allow natural regeneration of the forest.
swidden agriculture
	See milpa agriculture.
woodland
	A forest where tree crowns cover less than 20 percent of the ground; also called open canopy.

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