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D-F

D

deciduous

1.     Of leaves, bark, and so forth, falling regularly at the end of a growth period, or in the tropics, prior to one.

2.     Of a leaf, falling at the end of one season of growth or life. Of a perennial plant, losing its leaves (or a proportion of them) at the end of a season's growth.

deciduous forest

A forest composed of trees that shed their leaves at some season of the year. In tropical areas trees may lose their leaves during the hot season to conserve moisture. Trees of a deciduous forest in cool areas shed their leaves during the autumn to protect themselves against the cold and frost of winter. Deciduous forests produce valuable hardwood timber, such as teak and mahogany from the tropics, and oak and beech from the cooler areas.

E

ecofarming

Farming land by using practices that maintain biological diversity and conserve the resource base.

ecology

1.     The study of the totality or patterns of relations between organisms and their environment.

2.     The study of the interactions of living things, from ecos, the Greek word for 'living earth'. Certain plants and animals require specific conditions to live well and this is often termed the ecology of that plant or animal.

ecosystem

1.     The entire system of life and its environmental and geographical factors that influence all life, including the plants, the animals and the environmental factors.

2.     System that includes both living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) units to produce an exchange between them.

3.     A group of organisms interacting among themselves and with their environment.

energy farming

The process of using land to grow crops, woody or otherwise, that provide fuel, for example, close-planted, fast-growing tree species such as poplar (temperate) or leucaena (tropical). These may be harvested by hand or mechanically. Hydrocarbon fuels can be extracted from other kinds of plants, for example, from some Euphorbia species.

enriched fallow

A form of agroforestry in which useful, mainly woody species are sown or planted before cultivation ceases, or at the time it does, so that during the fallow period, or when the land is next cleared for cultivation, products are available for household use or market that would not otherwise have been there (for example, fruits, bamboos, rattans, medicinals).

erosion

The detachment and movement of the solid material of the land surface by wind, moving water or ice, and by such processes as landslides and soil creep.

establishment

The successful growth of young plants, brought about by providing them with the right site and favourable conditions.

evergreen

A plant remaining green in its dormant season and so applied to plants that are green throughout the year. Properly applied to plants and not to leaves, as it is due to the persistence of leaves.

exotic

Commonly used to refer to a plant or other organism introduced from a foreign country. For example, Grevillea robusta, which comes from Australia, is an exotic tree species in Kenya. Strictly, however, the term refers to a plant grown anywhere outside its natural range.

ex situ

From outside. When applied to tree plantations, refers to a planting site distant from the seed collection site.

F

fallow

1.     Allowing crop land to lie idle, either tilled or untilled, during the whole or greater portion of a growing season. Tillage is usually practised to control weeds and encourage the storage of moisture in the soil.

2.     Land rested from deliberate cropping, not necessarily without cultivation or grazing but without sowing.

3.     State of land left without a crop or weed growth for extended period, often to accumulate moisture.

farm forestry

Growing trees for timber, poles, fuelwood on farmland. This may be done in small woodlots or as boundary plantings.

farming systems research and development

An approach to agricultural research and development that (1) views the whole farm as a system and (2) focuses on the interdependence among the components under the control of the farm household's members and how these components interact with the physical, biological and socioeconomic factors not under household control. The approach involves selecting targets, areas and farmers, identifying problems and opportunities, designing and executing on-farm research, evaluating results, and extension.

firebreak

In forestry, an existing barrier, or one constructed before a fire occurs, from which flammable materials have been removed, designed to stop or check creeping or running fires. Also serves as a line from which to work and to facilitate the movement of men and equipment in fire suppression.

fodder

Plants or plant parts eaten by browsing or grazing animals. Fodder trees include species of Acacia, Leucaena, Prosopis and many others. Normally, fodder refers to the green parts of the tree, for example, leaves or sometimes flowers and pods. Often fodder is collected and stored for future consumption.

foliage

The entire leaf mass of a tree or trees (or of plants generally).

forage

Any plant material, except commercial feedstuffs, consumed by livestock. The most common forage crops are grasses and legumes.

forage forestry

Growing close-planted, fast-growing tree species that can be mechanically harvested, such as by a forage harvester in agriculture, for wood products such as woodchips.

forest garden

A land-use form on private lands outside the village in which planted trees and sometimes, additional perennial crops occur.

forest grazing

Any situation (silvopastoral) where timber-producing trees and grazed pasture are grown together as an integrated management system, the prime objective being to increase long-term net profit per hectare. Growing pasture under trees as an alternative source of income to production thinning of timber or pulpwood.

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