Forests and woodlands were present in most parts of Europe, and were importantassets in the rural economies and land-use practices. Forests were altered throughmanagement and resource extraction, resulting in changes in tree composition andbiodiversity. There was not necessarily a sharp division between forests andagrarian and open landscapes. Forests were more open, with a greater mixture ofdifferent trees, other vegetation and glades, than the dense production forests oftoday. The fact that trees were common in, or adjacent to, fields and meadowsadded to the indistinct division.In some parts of Europe, especially in sparsely populated areas such as much ofScandinavia, Russia and other upland areas, forests could be very extensive.However, this should not be confused with wilderness, as forests had specialuses. Different forest zones were designated for different purposes, such as fortimber, grazing, haymaking or charcoal burning, and were sometimes namedaccordingly. In Scandinavia, this land was called utmark (outlying land).Forest resources were used in the daily economy of medieval households in allsocial strata, as well as for commodity production. Such commodity productioncould be of a substantial and industrialised volume, but was subject to changingmarket conditions, and sometimes to sustainability problems. The forest was alsoa resource for settlement expansion, which was periodically significant in someparts of Europe. Settlements in forested areas were characterised by diversifiedeconomies, in which forest resources played a prominent role.Most forests were managed as commons, or a mixture of private land and commons,within rural communities. The use of some forest resources was regulated andmonitored by the communities in order to avoid unwanted deforestation. However,in some parts of Europe, the concept ‘forest’ referred to areas to which the kinghad special rights, restricting access for local communities.