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Global forest resources assessment update 2005, Terms and definitions

Year of publication 2004

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Product type Book (stand-alone)

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Variations in definitions, however minor, increase the likelihood of divergent outcomes. Definitions are, therefore, the corner stone of any information and knowledge system. The definitions draw contextual and conceptual boundaries around various subsets of a data set as well as around the elements of the data set as a whole. The usefulness of a definition in any given context depends on its ability to prevent the rest (subset or elements) from intruding into the boundary. The description of th e parameters of these boundaries constitutes the definition. In a forest resources assessment, definitions draw boundaries around various sets or subsets of data on the extent, structure or characteristics, stocks, goods, services, management and use of forest resources. The context usually includes the environmental, ecological, landscape, administrative, silvicultural and legal frameworks in which forests reside. The global forest resource assessment reports have always provided a set of defin itions as the basis for their information content. The development of such a set of definitions is necessary for producing compatible information across countries and time and to facilitate harmonization of information with that provided to/by other international agencies and processes.

Language English

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