Forestry refers to the science and craft that involves creating, managing, using, conserving and repairing forests as well as woodlands and the associated resources for environmental and human benefits. Let’s dig in and find out more.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this topic, you are expected to-
Forestry can be practiced in natural stands and in plantations. The science of forestry contains elements belonging to the biological, managerial, political and social sciences.
Modern forestry often embraces a wide range of concerns, in what is called multiple-use management, including the provision of fuel wood, timber, recreation, wildlife habitat, natural water quality management, community protection, landscape, employment, biodiversity, control of erosion and the preservation of forests as sinks for atmospheric carbon dioxide. Forester is the name given to a practitioner of forestry. Other terms that have been commonly used are verderer and silviculturalist. Silviculture is a term that is often used synonymously with forestry but it is narrower than forestry. Silviculture is concerned only with forest plants.
Forest ecosystems have emerged as the most important component of biosphere. Forestry has also emerged as a vital technology, craft and applied science.
Forestry is also an important economic segment is several industrial countries. For example, in a country like Germany, nearly a third of the land area is covered by forests. Wood is the most important renewable resource, and forestry supports more than 1 million jobs and approximately 181 billion Euros of value to the German economy each year.
FORESTRY IN THE 21ST CENTURY
A strong body of research exists in the modern world regarding the management of forest ecosystems and the genetic improvement of species of trees. The study of forestry also involves the development of better methods for planting, protecting, thinning, felling, burning, extracting and processing of timber. One of the major applications of modern forestry is reforestation.
Trees provide many environmental, economic and social benefits for people. In a big number of regions, the forest industry is of major ecological, social and economic importance. United States is the leading country in the world in the production of timber.
In topographically severe forested terrain, proper forestry is important for the minimization and prevention of soil erosion and landslides. In areas that are more prone to landslides, forests can stabilize soils and prevent damage of property, human injury and loss of lives.
FORESTRY AS A SCIENCE
Over the past centuries, forestry was regarded as a separate science. With the rise of environmental science and ecology, there has been a reordering in the applied sciences. Forestry is therefore a primary land use science that can be compared with agriculture in line with this view.
