The meaning of trees outside forests in the countryside and their evolution in two test areas of Sicily

Abstract

Present work deals with the multifunctional role of trees outside forests in the mediterranean countryside and agricultural landscapes. The international and Italian context is presented, focusing on the high ecologic and naturalistic value of these actual biotopes, giving the framework of a simple system of nomenclature to be adopted for a field and multitemporal survey, in a specific Sicilian landscape still dominated by intensive cropping.