We visited a farm on a hillside that looks down toward the Dominican border with Haiti.  One of the visitors asked  where exactly on the hillside the  border was. The farmer responded, "Do  you see that mango down there? There's a bunch of  trees in  front of it and then that one mango. That's where the  border is."  As he was giving this  description, I  realized that the border actually starts where the trees stop.  But  not  what you're thinking.  All  the trees are on the Haitian side! Once you get across the border it is pretty much barren, with a few shrubs here and there. This is contrary to the common wisdom, as you likely know, everyone says that there are more trees in the DR and you can actually trace the border by the tree cover. It's true overall that there is more tree cover in the DR than Haiti by a long shot, but in this particular case you can trace the border by  following the trees on the Haitian side. The reason for this is partly  because the plain area in the DR in this particular region is drier  compared to the higher altitude Haitian part, but also  because of the share-cropping arrangement typical in  this area. Dominican farmers will strike an agreement with a Haitian farmer allowing the Haitian to manage his land and split the profits. In this specific case, this means the Haitian farmer is  cutting trees and making charcoal,  something he  doesn't  do when he returns home in  the evening to his own  farm.  Surprised? I  am a little. The photos below show Haiti in the foreground, the DR in the background.