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{{Short description|Land covered in trees}}
{{Redirect|Wooded|the racehorse|Wooded (horse)}}
{{About|the type of forest|}}
[[File:Woodland, Bogside - geograph.org.uk - 2215308.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|An open woodland in [[North Lanarkshire]], Scotland]]


A '''woodland''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-woodland.ogg|ˈ|w|ʊ|d|l|ə|n|d}}) is, in the broad sense, land covered with [[woody plant]]s ([[tree]]s and [[shrub]]s),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/woodland |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115212207/https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/woodland |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 15, 2020 |title=Definition of Woodland |website=[[Lexico]] |language=en |access-date=2020-01-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/woodland |title=Woodland definition and meaning |website=[[Collins English Dictionary]] |language=en |access-date=2020-01-15}}</ref> or in a narrow sense, synonymous with '''wood''' (or in the U.S., the ''[[plurale tantum]]'' '''woods'''), a low-density [[forest]] forming open [[habitat]]s with plenty of [[sunlight]] and limited [[shade (shadow)|shade]] (see differences between [[British English|British]], [[American English|American]] and [[Australian English]] explained below). Some [[savanna]]s may also be woodlands, such as ''savanna woodland'', where trees and shrubs form a light [[canopy (biology)|canopy]].<ref>Smith, Jeremy M.B.. "savanna". [[Encyclopedia Britannica]], 5 Sep. 2016, https://www.britannica.com/science/savanna/Environment. Accessed 8 February 2023.</ref>
{{about|the type of forest|}}
[[File:Belianske Tatry.JPG|thumb|300px|Woodland in [[Belianske Tatras]] in [[Slovakia]]]]
'''Woodland''' {{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-woodland.ogg|ˈ|w|ʊ|d|l|ə|n|d}} is a low-density [[forest]] forming open [[habitat]]s with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of [[shrub]]s and [[herbaceous plant]]s including [[grass]]es. Woodland may form a transition to [[shrubland]] under drier conditions or during early stages of [[primary succession|primary]] or [[secondary succession]]. Higher density areas of trees with a largely closed [[canopy (forest)|canopy]] that provides extensive and nearly continuous shade are referred to as [[forest|forests]].


Woodlands may support an [[understory]] of shrubs and [[herbaceous plant]]s including [[grass]]es. Woodland may form a transition to [[shrubland]] under drier conditions or during early stages of [[primary succession|primary]] or [[secondary succession]]. Higher-density areas of trees with a largely closed canopy that provides extensive and nearly continuous shade are often referred to as forests.
Conservationists have worked hard to preserve woodlands, because people are destroying animal habitats when building homes and other buildings. For example, the woodlands in Northwest Indiana have been preserved as part of the Indiana Dunes.<ref>Smith, S. & Mark, S. (2006). Alice Gray, Dorothy Buell, and Naomi Svihla: Preservationists of Ogden Dunes. The South Shore Journal, 1.
http://www.southshorejournal.org/index.php/issues/volume-1-2006/78-journals/vol-1-2006/117-alice-gray-dorothy-buell-and-naomi-svihla-preservationists-of-ogden-dunes
</ref><ref>Smith, S. & Mark, S. (2009). The Historical Roots of the Nature Conservancy in the Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland Region: From Science to Preservation. The South Shore Journal, 3. http://www.southshorejournal.org/index.php/issues/volume-3-2009/83-journals/vol-3-2009/75-the-historical-roots-of-the-nature-conservancy-in-the-northwest-indianachicagoland-region-from-science-to-preservation</ref><ref>Smith, S. & Mark, S. (2007). The cultural impact of a museum in a small community: The Hour Glass of Ogden Dunes. The South Shore Journal, 2. http://www.southshorejournal.org/index.php/issues/volume-2-2007/82-journals/vol-2-2007/104-the-cultural-impact-of-a-museum-in-a-small-community-the-hour-glass-in-ogden-dunes</ref>


Extensive efforts by [[conservation movement|conservationist]] groups have been made to preserve woodlands from [[urbanization]] and [[agriculture]]. For example, the woodlands of [[Northwest Indiana]] have been preserved as part of the [[Indiana Dunes State Park|Indiana Dunes]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Smith, S. |author2=Mark, S. |year=2006 |title=Alice Gray, Dorothy Buell, and Naomi Svihla: Preservationists of Ogden Dunes |journal=The South Shore Journal |volume=1
==Definitions==
|url=http://www.southshorejournal.org/index.php/issues/volume-1-2006/78-journals/vol-1-2006/117-alice-gray-dorothy-buell-and-naomi-svihla-preservationists-of-ogden-dunes |access-date=2012-06-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913013557/http://www.southshorejournal.org/index.php/issues/volume-1-2006/78-journals/vol-1-2006/117-alice-gray-dorothy-buell-and-naomi-svihla-preservationists-of-ogden-dunes |archive-date=2012-09-13}}
</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Smith, S. |author2=Mark, S. |year=2009 |title=The Historical Roots of the Nature Conservancy in the Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland Region: From Science to Preservation |journal=The South Shore Journal |volume=3 |url=http://www.southshorejournal.org/index.php/issues/volume-3-2009/83-journals/vol-3-2009/75-the-historical-roots-of-the-nature-conservancy-in-the-northwest-indianachicagoland-region-from-science-to-preservation |access-date=2015-11-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101021140/http://www.southshorejournal.org/index.php/issues/volume-3-2009/83-journals/vol-3-2009/75-the-historical-roots-of-the-nature-conservancy-in-the-northwest-indianachicagoland-region-from-science-to-preservation |archive-date=2016-01-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Smith, S. |author2=Mark, S. |year=2007 |title=The cultural impact of a museum in a small community: The Hour Glass of Ogden Dunes |journal=The South Shore Journal |volume=2 |url=http://www.southshorejournal.org/index.php/issues/volume-2-2007/82-journals/vol-2-2007/104-the-cultural-impact-of-a-museum-in-a-small-community-the-hour-glass-in-ogden-dunes |access-date=2012-06-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130085605/http://www.southshorejournal.org/index.php/issues/volume-2-2007/82-journals/vol-2-2007/104-the-cultural-impact-of-a-museum-in-a-small-community-the-hour-glass-in-ogden-dunes |archive-date=2012-11-30}}</ref>

==Definitions ==
===United Kingdom===
===United Kingdom===
''Woodland'' is used in [[United Kingdom|British]] [[woodland management]] to mean tree-covered areas which arose naturally and which are then managed, while [[forest]] is usually used in the [[British Isles]] to describe [[Plantation|plantations]], usually more extensive, or hunting [[Royal forest|Forests]], which are a land use with a legal definition and may not be wooded at all.<ref name="Woodlands (New Naturalist 100)" /> The term "[[ancient woodland]]" is used in British [[Conservation (ethic)|nature conservation]] to refer to any wooded land that has existed since 1600, and often (though not always) for thousands of years, since the [[Last glacial period|last Ice Age]]<ref name="Woodlands (New Naturalist 100)">{{cite book|last=Rackham|first=Oliver|authorlink = Oliver Rackham|title=Woodlands (New Naturalist 100)|date=2006|publisher=HarperCollins|location=London|isbn=9780007202447}}</ref> (equivalent to the American term [[old-growth forest]]).
''Woodland'' is used in [[United Kingdom|British]] [[woodland management]] to mean tree-covered areas which arose naturally and which are then managed. At the same time, [[forest]] is usually used in the [[British Isles]] to describe [[plantation]]s, usually more extensive, or hunting [[Royal forest|Forests]], which are a land use with a legal definition and may not be wooded at all.<ref name="Woodlands (New Naturalist 100)" /> The term ''[[ancient woodland]]'' is used in British [[Conservation (ethic)|nature conservation]] to refer to any wooded land that has existed since 1600, and often (though not always) for thousands of years, since the [[Last glacial period|last Ice Age]]<ref name="Woodlands (New Naturalist 100)">{{cite book|last=Rackham|first=Oliver|author-link = Oliver Rackham|title=Woodlands (New Naturalist 100)| date= 2006| publisher= HarperCollins| location= London| isbn= 9780007202447}}</ref> (equivalent to the American term [[old-growth forest]])


===North America===
===North America===
[[Woodlot]] is a closely related [[American English|American]] term, which refers to a stand of trees generally used for firewood. While woodlots often technically have closed canopies, they are so small that light [[edge effect|penetration]] from the edge makes them ecologically closer to woodland than forest.
[[Woodlot]] is a closely related term in [[American English|American]] [[forest management]], which refers to a stand of trees generally used for firewood. While woodlots often technically have closed canopies, they are so small that [[edge effect|light penetration]] from the edge makes them ecologically closer to woodland than forest. North American forests vary widely in their ecology and are greatly dependent on abiotic factors such as climate and elevation. Much of the old-growth deciduous and pine-dominated forests of the eastern United States was harvested for lumber, paper pulp, telephone poles, creosote, pitch, and tar.


===Australia===
===Australia===
In Australia, a woodland is defined as an area with sparse (10-30%) cover of trees, and an open woodland has very sparse (<10%) cover. Woodlands are also subdivided into tall woodlands, or low woodlands, if their trees are over 30 m or under 10 m high respectively. This contrasts with forests, which have greater than 30% cover by trees.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.anbg.gov.au/aust-veg/veg-map.html | title=A simplified look at Australia's vegetation | work=Information about Australia's Flora: The Australian Environment | publisher= Australian National Botanic Gardens and Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research | location= Canberra | date=24 December 2015 | accessdate=15 February 2017}}</ref>
In Australia, a woodland is defined as an area with a sparse (10–30%) cover of trees, and an open woodland has a very sparse (<10%) cover. Woodlands are also subdivided into tall woodlands or low woodlands if their trees are over {{cvt|30|m}} or under {{cvt|10|m}} high, respectively. This contrasts with forests, which have more than 30% of their area covered by trees.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.anbg.gov.au/aust-veg/veg-map.html | title=A simplified look at Australia's vegetation | work=Information about Australia's Flora: The Australian Environment | publisher= Australian National Botanic Gardens and Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research | location= Canberra | date=24 December 2015 | access-date=15 February 2017}}</ref>


==Woodland ecoregions==
== Oak disease ==
{{Main|Ecoregions}}
[[Phytophthora ramorum|Sudden oak death]] (SOD), an oak disease, results from ''[[Phytophthora ramorum]]'', a pathogen that thrives in moist, humid conditions<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Ecosystems of California|last=Mooney & Zavaleta|first=|publisher=University of California Press, Oakland|year=2016|isbn=|location=|pages=515}}</ref>. This causal agent attacks the phloem and cambium of oaks, allowing beetle and fungi infestation. It has killed millions of tanoaks since it was discovered in the mid-1990s. SOD does not affect white oaks and drier areas like foothill woodlands, but affects forests and more moist conditions like live oak woodlands and forests, which have been significantly impacted<ref name=":0" />.
===Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands===
{{Main|Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands}}
[[File:Nyika miombo.jpg|thumb|right|Miombo woodland in [[Malawi]]]]
* [[Afrotropical realm]]
** [[Angolan miombo woodlands]] (Angola)
** [[Angolan mopane woodlands]] (Angola, Namibia)
** [[Central Zambezian miombo woodlands]] (Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia)
** [[Eastern miombo woodlands]] (Mozambique, Tanzania)
** [[Kalahari Acacia-Baikiaea woodlands]] (Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe)
** [[Zambezian and mopane woodlands]] (Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe)
** [[Zambezian Baikiaea woodlands]] (Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe)
* [[Nearctic realm]]
** [[Madrean pine–oak woodlands]] (Mexico)
* [[Neotropical realm]]
** [[Cerrado woodlands and savannas]] (Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay)


===Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands===
==Woodland [[ecoregion]]s==
[[Image:Morton Arboretum woodland.jpg|thumb|right|A woodland ecosystem at [[Morton Arboretum]] in [[Illinois]]]]
[[File:Cumberland Plains Woodlands, Prestons - 2.jpg|thumb|A dry [[sclerophyll]] woodland in western Sydney.]]
[[File:Open Woodland in Illinois United States.jpg|thumb|An open woodland in Northern Illinois supporting an herbaceous understory of forbs and grasses]]
[[File:Open Woodland in Illinois United States.jpg|thumb|An open woodland in Northern Illinois supporting an herbaceous understory of forbs and grasses]]
{{Main|Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands}}
* [[Afrotropical realm]]
** [[Al Hajar montane woodlands]] (Oman)
* [[Australasian realm]]
** [[Central Hunter Valley eucalypt forest and woodland]] (Australia)
** [[Cumberland Plain Woodland]] (Australia)
** [[Gippsland Plains Grassy Woodland]] (Australia)
** [[Southeast Australia temperate savanna|Grey Box Grassy Woodlands]] (Australia)
** [[Lowland Grassy Woodland]] (Australia)
** [[New England Peppermint Grassy Woodland]] (Australia)
* [[Nearctic realm]]
** [[Central forest–grasslands transition]] (United States)
** [[Upper Midwest forest–savanna transition]] (United States)
* [[Palearctic realm]]
** [[Gissaro-Alai open woodlands]] (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan)


===Montane grasslands and shrublands===

===[[Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands]]===
{{Main|Montane grasslands and shrublands}}
[[File:Limber pine woodland.jpg|thumb|right|[[Limber Pine]] woodland in the [[Toiyabe Range]] of central Nevada]]
* [[Afrotropic ecozone]]
* [[Afrotropical realm]]
** [[Angolan Miombo woodlands]] ([[Angola]])
** [[Angolan Mopane woodlands]] ([[Angola]], [[Namibia]])
** [[Angolan Scarp savanna and woodlands]] (Angola)
** [[Drakensberg alti-montane grasslands and woodlands]] (Lesotho, South Africa)
** [[Central Zambezian Miombo woodlands]] ([[Angola]], [[Burundi]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Malawi]], [[Tanzania]], [[Zambia]])
** [[Eastern Miombo woodlands]] ([[Mozambique]], [[Tanzania]])
** [[Drakensberg montane grasslands, woodlands and forests]] (Eswatini, Lesotho, South Africa)
** [[East African montane moorlands]] (Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda)
** [[Kalahari Acacia-Baikiaea woodlands]] ([[Botswana]], [[Namibia]], [[South Africa]], [[Zimbabwe]])
** [[Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands]] (Ethiopia)
** [[Zambezian and Mopane woodlands]] ([[Botswana]], [[Malawi]], [[Mozambique]], [[Namibia]], [[South Africa]], [[Swaziland]], [[Zambia]], [[Zimbabwe]])
* [[Nearctic realm]]
** [[Zambezian Baikiaea woodlands]] ([[Angola]], [[Botswana]], [[Namibia]], [[Zambia]], [[Zimbabwe]])
** [[Pinyon–juniper woodland]] (United States)
* [[Neotropic ecozone]]
* [[Palearctic realm]]
** [[Cerrado woodlands and savannas]] ([[Bolivia]], Brazil, [[Paraguay]])
** [[Kopet Dag woodlands and forest steppe]] (Iran, Turkmenistan)

===[[Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands]]===
===Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub===
{{Main|Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub}}
* [[Afrotropic Ecozone]]
[[File:MAL Mallee 1 Clyde Hill NR III-2011.jpg|thumb|[[Mallee (habit)|Mallee]] woodland with [[eucalyptus]]es and [[melaleuca]]s in Esperance, Western Australia]]
** [[Al Hajar Al Gharbi montane woodlands]] ([[Oman]])
* [[Palearctic ecozone]]
* [[Australasian realm]]
** [[Banksia Woodlands of the Swan Coastal Plain]] (Australia)
** [[Gissaro-Alai open woodlands]] ([[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Uzbekistan]])

===[[Montane grasslands and shrublands]]===
[[Image:Limber pine woodland.jpg|thumb|right|[[Limber Pine]] woodland in the [[Toiyabe Range]] of central [[Nevada]]]]
* [[Afrotropic ecozone]]
** [[Angolan Scarp savanna and woodlands]] ([[Angola]])
** [[Drakensberg alti-montane grasslands and woodlands]] ([[Lesotho]], South Africa)
** [[Drakensberg montane grasslands, woodlands and forests]] ([[Lesotho]], South Africa, [[Swaziland]])
** [[East African montane moorlands]] ([[Kenya]], [[Sudan]], [[Tanzania]], [[Uganda]])
** [[Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands]] ([[Ethiopia]])
* [[Palearctic ecozone]]
** [[Kopet Dag woodlands and forest steppe]] ([[Iran]], [[Turkmenistan]])

===[[Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub]]===
[[Image:Bush in fog.jpg|thumb|right|[[Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub|Mediterranean]] [[Eucalyptus|eucalypt]] forest in Australia]]
[[File:Prospectcreek.jpg|thumb|240px|right|A dry [[sclerophyll]] forest in western [[Sydney]].]]
* [[Australasia ecozone]]
** [[Coolgardie woodlands]] (Australia)
** [[Coolgardie woodlands]] (Australia)
** [[Mount Lofty woodlands]] (Australia)
** [[Mount Lofty woodlands]] (Australia)
Line 64: Line 82:
** [[Naracoorte woodlands]] (Australia)
** [[Naracoorte woodlands]] (Australia)
** [[Southwest Australia woodlands]] (Australia)
** [[Southwest Australia woodlands]] (Australia)
** [[Swan Coastal Plain Shrublands and Woodlands]] (Australia)
* [[Nearctic ecozone]]
* [[Nearctic realm]]
** [[California chaparral and woodlands]] (United States)
** [[California chaparral and woodlands]] (United States)
** [[California montane chaparral and woodlands]] (United States)
* [[Palearctic ecozone]]
** [[California interior chaparral and woodlands]] (United States)
* Baccanico (berrywood) an area with a high density of all sorts of berry ("berry" in Italian "bacca") trees.
[[File:Lebanon cedar forest.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Cedrus|cedar]] woodland in [[Bsharri]], Lebanon]]
** [[Canary Islands dry woodlands and forests]] ([[Spain]])
* [[Palearctic realm]]
** [[Mediterranean acacia-argania dry woodlands and succulent thickets]] ([[Morocco]], [[Canary Islands]] (Spain))
** [[Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe]] ([[Algeria]], [[Egypt]], [[Libya]], [[Morocco]], [[Tunisia]])
** [[Canary Islands dry woodlands and forests]] (Spain)
** [[Mediterranean woodlands and forests]] ([[Algeria]], [[Morocco]], [[Tunisia]])
** [[Eastern Mediterranean conifer–sclerophyllous–broadleaf forests]] (Turkey, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon)
** [[Mediterranean acacia-argania dry woodlands and succulent thickets]] (Morocco, Canary Islands)
** [[Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe]] (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia)
** [[Mediterranean woodlands and forests]] (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia)
** [[Southeastern Iberian shrubs and woodlands]] (Spain)
** [[Southeastern Iberian shrubs and woodlands]] (Spain)


===[[Deserts and xeric shrublands]]===
===Deserts and xeric shrublands===
{{Main|Deserts and xeric shrublands}}
* [[Afrotropic ecozone]]
[[File:Sahel forest near Kayes Mali.jpg|thumb|right|[[Sahel]] woodland in Mali]]
** [[East Saharan montane xeric woodlands]] ([[Chad]], [[Sudan]])
* [[Afrotropical realm]]
** [[Madagascar succulent woodlands]] ([[Madagascar]])
** [[Somali montane xeric woodlands]] ([[Somalia]])
** [[East Saharan montane xeric woodlands]] (Chad, Sudan)
** [[Southwestern Arabian montane woodlands]] ([[Saudi Arabia]], [[Yemen]])
** [[Madagascar succulent woodlands]] (Madagascar)
** [[Somali montane xeric woodlands]] (Somalia)
* [[Palearctic ecozone]]
** [[Baluchistan xeric woodlands]] ([[Afghanistan]], [[Pakistan]])
** [[Southwestern Arabian montane woodlands]] (Saudi Arabia, Yemen)
* [[Palearctic realm]]
** [[Central Afghan Mountains xeric woodlands]] ([[Afghanistan]])
** [[Central Asian riparian woodlands]] ([[Kazakhstan]])
** [[Baluchistan xeric woodlands]] (Afghanistan, Pakistan)
** [[Central Afghan Mountains xeric woodlands]] (Afghanistan)
** [[North Saharan steppe and woodlands]] ([[Algeria]], [[Egypt]], [[Libya]], [[Morocco]] [[Tunisia]], [[Western Sahara]])
** [[Paropamisus xeric woodlands]] ([[Afghanistan]])
** [[Central Asian riparian woodlands]] (Kazakhstan)
** [[South Saharan steppe and woodlands]] ([[Algeria]], [[Chad]], [[Mali]], [[Mauritania]], [[Niger]], [[Sudan]])
** [[North Saharan steppe and woodlands]] (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Western Sahara)
** [[Tibesti-Jebel Uweinat montane xeric woodlands]] ([[Chad]], [[Egypt]], [[Libya]], [[Sudan]])
** [[Paropamisus xeric woodlands]] (Afghanistan)
** [[West Saharan montane xeric woodlands]] ([[Algeria]], [[Mali]], [[Mauritania]], [[Niger]])
** [[South Saharan steppe and woodlands]] (Algeria, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sudan)
** [[Tibesti-Jebel Uweinat montane xeric woodlands]] (Chad, Egypt, Libya, Sudan)
** [[West Saharan montane xeric woodlands]] (Algeria, Mali, Mauritania, Niger)


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Trees}}
{{Portal bar|Forestry|Trees|Plants|Environment|Ecology|Earth sciences|Sustainable development}}
{{Columns-list|3|
{{Columns-list|colwidth=22em|
* [[Agroforestry]]
* [[Agroforestry]]
* [[Ancient woodland]]
* [[Biomass]]
* [[Biomass (ecology)]]
* [[Bioproduct]]
* [[Biosphere]]
* [[Biosphere]]
* [[Boreal forest]]
* [[Canopy (biology)]]
* [[Clearcutting]]
* [[Clearcutting]]
* [[Close to nature forestry]]
* [[Cloud forest]]
* [[Chase (land)]]
* [[Chase (land)]]
* [[Deforestation]]
* [[Deforestation]]
Line 110: Line 126:
* [[Ecological succession]]
* [[Ecological succession]]
* [[Forest dynamics]]
* [[Forest dynamics]]
* [[Forest management]]
* [[Forest migration]]
* [[Forest migration]]
* [[Forest pathology]]
* [[Forest pathology]]
* [[Forestry Commission]]
* [[Forestry Commission]]
* [[History of the forest in Central Europe]]
* [[Illegal logging]]
* [[Intact forest landscape]]
* [[Intact forest landscape]]
* [[Jungle (terrain)]]
* [[Kelp forest]] (A forest made mostly if not entirely of [[Kelp]]; an underwater forest)
* [[List of countries by forest area]]
* [[List of old-growth forests]]
* [[List of superlative trees]]
* [[List of tree genera]]
* [[List of trees and shrubs by taxonomic family]]
* [[Lists of trees|Lists of trees of the world]]
* [[Natural environment]]
* [[Natural environment]]
* [[Natural landscape]]
* [[Natural landscape]]
* [[Old-growth forest]] (ancient forest, virgin forest, primary forest)
* [[Orchard]]
* [[Permaforestry]]
* [[Permaforestry]]
* [[Plantation#Forestry|Plantation]] (forestry)
* [[Rainforest]]
* [[REDD-plus]]
* [[REDD-plus]]
* [[Royal Forestry Society]]
* [[Royal Forestry Society]]
* [[Silviculture]]
* [[Silviculture]]
* [[Subalpine]] forest
* [[Taiga]]
* [[Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests]]
* [[Temperate coniferous forests]]
* [[Tree]]
* [[Tree allometry]]
* [[Tree allometry]]
* [[Tree farm]]
* [[Tree farm]]
* [[Tropical rainforest]]
* [[Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests]]
* [[Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests]]
* [[Wildcrafting]]
* [[Wildcrafting]]
* [[Wilderness]]
* [[Woodland garden]]
* [[Woodland management]]
}}
}}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commonscat-inline|Woodlands}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Woodlands}}
{{portal|Trees}}
* [http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/ The UK Woodland Trust]
* [http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/ The UK Woodland Trust]
* [http://www.woodlandbond.co.uk/ Woodland Bond]
* [http://www.woodlandbond.co.uk/ Woodland Bond] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130806183602/http://www.woodlandbond.co.uk/ |date=2013-08-06 }}

{{Vegetation}}
{{Vegetation}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Forests]]
[[Category:Forests]]

Latest revision as of 14:16, 18 December 2024

"Wooded" redirects here. For the racehorse, see Wooded (horse).
This article is about the type of forest. For other uses, see Woodland (disambiguation).
An open woodland in North Lanarkshire, Scotland

A woodland (/ˈwʊdlənd/ ⓘ) is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs),[1][2] or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the plurale tantum woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see differences between British, American and Australian English explained below). Some savannas may also be woodlands, such as savanna woodland, where trees and shrubs form a light canopy.[3]

Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of primary or secondary succession. Higher-density areas of trees with a largely closed canopy that provides extensive and nearly continuous shade are often referred to as forests.

Extensive efforts by conservationist groups have been made to preserve woodlands from urbanization and agriculture. For example, the woodlands of Northwest Indiana have been preserved as part of the Indiana Dunes.[4][5][6]

Definitions

[edit]

United Kingdom

[edit]

Woodland is used in British woodland management to mean tree-covered areas which arose naturally and which are then managed. At the same time, forest is usually used in the British Isles to describe plantations, usually more extensive, or hunting Forests, which are a land use with a legal definition and may not be wooded at all.[7] The term ancient woodland is used in British nature conservation to refer to any wooded land that has existed since 1600, and often (though not always) for thousands of years, since the last Ice Age[7] (equivalent to the American term old-growth forest)

North America

[edit]

Woodlot is a closely related term in American forest management, which refers to a stand of trees generally used for firewood. While woodlots often technically have closed canopies, they are so small that light penetration from the edge makes them ecologically closer to woodland than forest. North American forests vary widely in their ecology and are greatly dependent on abiotic factors such as climate and elevation. Much of the old-growth deciduous and pine-dominated forests of the eastern United States was harvested for lumber, paper pulp, telephone poles, creosote, pitch, and tar.

Australia

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In Australia, a woodland is defined as an area with a sparse (10–30%) cover of trees, and an open woodland has a very sparse (<10%) cover. Woodlands are also subdivided into tall woodlands or low woodlands if their trees are over 30 m (98 ft) or under 10 m (33 ft) high, respectively. This contrasts with forests, which have more than 30% of their area covered by trees.[8]

Woodland ecoregions

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Main article: Ecoregions

Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands

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Main article: Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Miombo woodland in Malawi

Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands

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A dry sclerophyll woodland in western Sydney.
An open woodland in Northern Illinois supporting an herbaceous understory of forbs and grasses
Main article: Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands

Montane grasslands and shrublands

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Main article: Montane grasslands and shrublands
Limber Pine woodland in the Toiyabe Range of central Nevada

Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub

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Main article: Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
Mallee woodland with eucalyptuses and melaleucas in Esperance, Western Australia
A cedar woodland in Bsharri, Lebanon

Deserts and xeric shrublands

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Main article: Deserts and xeric shrublands
Sahel woodland in Mali

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Definition of Woodland". Lexico. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
  2. ^ "Woodland definition and meaning". Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
  3. ^ Smith, Jeremy M.B.. "savanna". Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Sep. 2016, https://www.britannica.com/science/savanna/Environment. Accessed 8 February 2023.
  4. ^ Smith, S.; Mark, S. (2006). "Alice Gray, Dorothy Buell, and Naomi Svihla: Preservationists of Ogden Dunes". The South Shore Journal. 1. Archived from the original on 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
  5. ^ Smith, S.; Mark, S. (2009). "The Historical Roots of the Nature Conservancy in the Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland Region: From Science to Preservation". The South Shore Journal. 3. Archived from the original on 2016-01-01. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
  6. ^ Smith, S.; Mark, S. (2007). "The cultural impact of a museum in a small community: The Hour Glass of Ogden Dunes". The South Shore Journal. 2. Archived from the original on 2012-11-30. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
  7. ^ a b Rackham, Oliver (2006). Woodlands (New Naturalist 100). London: HarperCollins. ISBN 9780007202447.
  8. ^ "A simplified look at Australia's vegetation". Information about Australia's Flora: The Australian Environment. Canberra: Australian National Botanic Gardens and Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. 24 December 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
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