Forest definitions applied for national United States forest reporting: Status, gaps, and opportunities

Abstract

This study offers a discussion on how interconnected forest monitoring and reporting frameworks rely on different definitions and address different goals, using the United States (US) reporting as a case study. Objectives were to: 1) review US forest definitions and how they compare with FAO definitions; 2) evaluate implications for data analysis and interpretation; and 3) explore ongoing efforts and opportunities to develop objective, transparent, and useful definitions of forest degradation, primary forests, and forest expansion. Because of the vast size, complex forest land management history, and biogeographic diversity of forests covered by the US forest inventory, lessons learned from this decades-long effort to align a lexicon of definitions can help inform other countries advance transparent, objective, and consistently applied definitions.

Citation

Murray, Lara T.; Oswalt, Sonja N.; Goeking, Sara A.; Renwick, Katherine M. 2025. Forest definitions applied for national United States forest reporting: Status, gaps, and opportunities. Trees, Forests and People. 20(8): 100839-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100839.