ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the description of the phenomenon of dendroculture, or tree culture, in the context of the environmental crisis; the perspective of trees and forests in art, folklore, culture, and religion; and the history of valorization of trees and forests in the last centuries. It provides an innovative taxonomic classification of trees of natural–cultural base. In the case of the north Mediterranean, as a consequence of its own distinct patterns of energy use with the hydrocarbons replacing coal and wood in the 1960s, together with minimal forest management, the forests have shown a constant increase in terms of area and growing stock. The social perception of the forest is dynamic, as the forest itself is changing over time in various ways according to different civilizations. Trees and the forest in general have given rise to different types of perceptions. In general, the forest represents the expression of maturity of a terrestrial ecosystem being its main component trees.
