Secondary forest: a working definition and typology

With past and continued destruction of primary forests worldwide, secondary forests constitute a large and growing component of forest cover and have been found to be very important for a wide range of goods and services.” There is considerable ambiguity with regard to the meaning of the term “secondary forest” and the different forest types it encompasses, despite its widespread usage. This paper reviews existing definitions or perceptions of secondary forests and examines the three main points of contention, i.e., whether nature (human or natural) of disturbance, intensity of disturbance, and nature of vegetation development matters in its definition. We then arrive at a broad working definition for secondary forests, and develop a secondary forest typology based on the underlying disturbances or land use practices that create conditions for the appearance of secondary forest. The definition and typology are based on clear and objective criteria and are generalisable across regions, both of which should make them widely applicable.