Forestry

Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving, and repairing forests and woodlands for many important benefits. Foresters work in both plantations and natural stands and use knowledge from many areas like biology, physics, and management. Forest management helps create homes for animals and affects how nature provides things we need.

Modern forestry cares about many uses of forests. It provides timber and fuel wood, supports wildlife habitat, helps keep water quality good, offers places for recreation, protects landscapes and communities, creates jobs, and helps keep our landscapes beautiful. It also manages biodiversity, prevents erosion, and protects forests that help remove carbon dioxide from the air.

Forests are a very important part of our world. They provide jobs for many people and support the lives of millions more, especially in places where people collect fuelwood or make a living from the land. In countries like Germany, forests cover large areas and are very important to the economy, supporting many jobs and creating great value each year.

Science

Forestry as a science

For many years, forestry was seen as its own special science. Today, with the growth of ecology and environmental science, forestry is now thought of as a main land-use science, much like agriculture. It helps us understand how to care for natural forests using ideas from ecology. Forests and tree farms, which grow trees for things like wood, are planned using a mix of ecology and agroecological ideas. Sometimes, taking care of forests can clash with other important things like keeping water clean, protecting areas where animals and fish live, and saving different kinds of plants and animals.

Dendrology and silviculture

Further information: Dendrology and silviculture

Dendrology is a part of botany that studies woody plants like trees, shrubs, and lianas, focusing on how they are classified. Silviculture is the work people do to manage forests, mainly to grow timber for wood products.

Genetic diversity in forestry

The type of forest reproductive material used to plant forests affects how well the trees grow. That’s why it’s important to use good quality material with high genetic diversity. Genetic diversity means the differences in DNA sequence between individual trees. It helps forests stay healthy and strong against pests and diseases. It also helps trees survive and change as the world around them changes. Forest genetic resources are very important for managing forests well.

Genetic diversity in forests can be harmed by forest fires, habitat fragmentation, pests, diseases, and bad forest management. In 2015, fires affected about 98 million hectares of forest, mostly in tropical areas like Africa and South America. Insects, diseases, and bad weather also damaged around 40 million hectares of forest that same year, mainly in temperate and boreal areas. Climate change brings new challenges for many tree species, especially those living on the edges of their natural ranges. Many European countries have guidelines to help choose the best tree types and sources for different places.

Forest management

Main article: Forest management

Forest management is a part of forestry that deals with taking care of forests for business and other uses. It includes growing trees, protecting forests, and making rules to help forests stay healthy. Goals can be to grow timber, keep forests beautiful, provide places for fun activities, protect water, support animals, and produce wood and other useful plants.

Sometimes, animals like deer can eat young trees and change what kinds of plants grow in a forest. Forest managers study these interactions to help forests stay balanced and healthy over time. They might look at certain plants to understand how much deer are eating and how it affects the forest.

Urban forestry

Main article: Urban forestry

Urban forestry is about taking care of individual trees and groups of trees in cities and towns. The goal is to make the urban environment better. This includes planning how to look after these trees and making sure they are well-maintained.

Forestry education

See also: List of forestry universities and colleges and List of forestry technical schools

Forestry education teaches people about many subjects, such as biology, ecology, botany, genetics, soil science, climatology, hydrology, economics, and forest management. Learning about sociology and political science can also be helpful. Good communication and solving problems are key skills for forestry students. In the United States, programs that lead to a Bachelor's degree or Master's degree are approved by the Society of American Foresters. In Canada, graduates from approved programs receive special silver rings from the Canadian Institute of Forestry. The International Union of Forest Research Organizations helps connect forest science work all around the world.

History

Main article: Forest management § History

Some important early books about forests were written in English. These include Booke of Survey by Roger Taverner in 1565, A Brefe Collection of the Lawes of the Forrest by John Manwood in 1592, and Sylva by John Evelyn in 1662.