Outline of forestry

Focus of forestry

• Tree - organism, whose species, age, vitality, growth, health, and size, are considered individually or more often, as part of a whole;

  Branches of forestry

• Agroforestry – integration of forests into agricultural systems in order to optimize the production and positive effects within the system and minimize negative side effects of farming
• Boreal forestry – analyzes the particular challenges of forestry in the world's boreal regions
• Close to nature forestry - theory and practice that takes the forest as an ecosystem and manages it as such. It is based on reduced human intervention, that should be directed to accelerate the processes that nature would do by itself more slowly.
• Dendrology – involves the study and identification of economically useful tree species
• Energy forestry – includes specifically managing for the production of energy from biomass or biofuel derived from a fast-growing species of tree or woody shrub
• Forest ecology – studies the patterns and processes of a forest ecosystem
• Forest economics – studies the impact of economics on forest management decisions
• Forest hydrology – embodies the effects of changes in forest land use on the movement, distribution, and quality of water in the ecosystem
• Forest mensuration – incorporates quantitative measurements of the forest stand to determine stand timber volume and productivity/health, and provides a basis off which management decisions can be made
• Forest pathology – research of both biotic and abiotic maladies affecting the health of the forest or tree, primarily fungal pathogens and their insect vectors
• Silviculture – is the art and science of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests to meet specific objectives
• Social forestry – addresses human-forest interactions, and the importance of community-based natural resource management
• Sustainable forestry – emphasizes forest management for long-term environmental, social, and economic sustainability
• Tropical forestry – is particularly concerned with management and conservation of forests in the tropics
• Urban forestry – entails the care and management of urban tree populations for the purpose of improving the urban environment
• World forestry – examines forest conservation at a global level

  Forest management

• Analog forestry - a management focus that seeks to establish a tree-dominated ecosystem that is similar in architectural structure and ecological function to the naturally occurring climax and sub-climax vegetation community
• Bamboo cultivation - farming and harvesting bamboo for commercial purposes such as construction.
• Community forestry - combination of forest conservation with rural development and poverty reduction objectives, accomplished through instating a legal framework that favors profitable and sustainable forest management
• Ecoforestry - emphasizes practices which strive to protect and restore ecosystems
• Hardwood timber production - process of managing stands of deciduous trees to maximize woody output
• Mycoforestry – ecological forest management system implemented to enhance forest ecosystems and plant communities through the introduction of mycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi
• Permaforestry – approach to the wildcrafting and harvesting of the forest biomass that uses cultivation to improve the natural harmonious systems. It is a relationship of interdependence between humans and the natural systems in which the amount of biomass available from the forest increases with the health of its natural systems.
• Plantation forestry - industrial plantations are established to produce a high volume of wood in a short period of time. Some plantations are managed by state forestry authorities and others by paper and wood companies.
• Short rotation forestry - managing a forest that utilizes fast-growing species as a bio-based energy crop for use in power stations, alone or in combination with other fuels such as coal
• Sustainable forest management - emphasizes practices that maintain forest biodiversity, productivity, regeneration capacity, and vitality, while continuing to fulfill relevant ecological, economic and social functions
• Tree farm - a forest or woodland owned privately where timber crop production is a major management goal

  Types of trees and forests

• Types of trees
• * List of trees and shrubs by taxonomic family
• ** List of tree species by shade tolerance - tree grouped by shade tolerance, a determinant in successional status
• * List of woods - commonly used in the timber and lumber trade
• Types of forests
• * By ecological factors
• ** Boreal forests - occupy the subarctic zone and are generally evergreen and coniferous
• *** Coniferous forests
• ** Temperate forests - forests in temperate zones
• *** Broadleaf forests, for example:
• **** Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests
• *** Evergreen coniferous forests, for example:
• **** Temperate coniferous forests
• **** Temperate rainforests
• *** Broadleaf evergreen forests - supported in warm temperate zones. Examples include:
• **** Laurel forests
• ** Tropical and subtropical forests
• *** Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
• *** Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
• *** Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests
• ** By physical structure or developmental stage
• *** Old growth forest
• *** Secondary forest
• ** By dominant tree species, for example
• *** Ponderosa pine forests
• *** Douglas-fir forests
• * List of types of formally designated forests - various institutionally designated types of forest areas, generally classified by use or ownership

  Geography of forests

• List of countries by forest area - using data from the CIA's World Factbook, presents the total area in km² and the percentage of land covered by forests
• Lists of forests
• * List of old growth forests - by continent, country, province; with various descriptive information

  Map of biomes

• List of life zones by region

  Occupations in forestry

• Arborist - professional responsible for the maintenance of individual trees in an urban forest also called a tree surgeon.
• Donkey puncher was the operator of a small steam donkey, a machine used in logging in the 19th and 20th centuries.
• Fire lookout - person assigned to spot for fires/smoke atop a fire lookout tower
• Forest ecologist - studies patterns, processes, flora and fauna in forest ecosystems
• Forest economist - model and analyze economic aspects of forest growth, utilization, and conservation
• Forest engineer - civil engineer specializing in all aspects of timber and forest operations, including road-building, railways, log transport, etc.
• Forest ranger - responsible for managing and policing human use of the forest; sometimes also acts as educator and interpreter
• Forest sociologist - applied social scientist working with a wide variety of stakeholders interested in forests
• Forest technician - individual primarily responsible for the marking of timber sales and on-ground land management, often requires a two-year Associate of Science degree
• Forester - professional chiefly responsible for the management of forests, requires a Bachelor of Science degree in most countries
• * Master forester - forestry expert responsible for forest management and training
• Hotshot crew/Handcrew - a group of wildland firefighters specialized in fire suppression tactics
• Lumberjack - the typical feller of trees and harvester of the lumber, duties can also include:
• Resin extractor - laborer who extracts resin from pine trees
• Rubber tapper - laborer who extracts natural rubber from tropical rubber trees
• Smokejumper - firefighters who parachute into remote areas to fight wildland fires
• Timber cruiser - responsible for assessing forest growth, health, and valuation
• Tree planters - help reestablish forests after logging, fires, and other events and circumstances

  Silvicultural methods

• Controlled burn - use of fire in order to eliminate weeds, brush, or slash, or to release on-site seeds of fire-dependent species
• Stump harvesting - removal of tree stumps either for biomass or to free up space in the soil
• Drum chopping - knocking down small trees and brush to clear the ground for planting

• Broadcast seeding - scattering of seed either by hand or mechanically over a relatively large area
• Aerial seeding - dispersing of seed from an aircraft, used especially in mountainous areas
• Treeplanting - transplanting of juvenile seedlings into the ground at a predetermined spacing

• Weeding - removal or reduction of herbaceous or woody species around seedlings
• Cleaning - removal of competing saplings of similar age in order to favor saplings of desirable growth characteristics
• Liberation cutting - removal of older and established overtopping trees from desirable saplings
• Thinning - removal of trees to favor the growth of select trees in order to maximize timber production
• Ecological thinning - removal of trees to favor the growth of select trees in order to favor the development of wildlife habitat
• Pruning - removal of the lateral branches on the trees in order to improve wood quality
• Pollarding - annual removal of lateral branches or main stem in order to encourage growth of branches to provide for firewood, or fruit production

• Even-aged timber management
• Uneven-aged timber management
• Other

  Environmental issues pertaining to forests

• Afforestation - the process of establishing a forest on previously unforested land, for reasons of timber harvesting, conservation of biodiversity, or soil decontamination, among many.
• Biodiversity conservation - examines forests broader role in supporting a variety of ecological systems
• Carbon sequestration - focus on forests' broader ecological functioning in consumption of carbon dioxide
• Conservation - focus on sustainability of forest resources and preservation of forest-based biodiversity
• Deforestation - the removal of trees in a forested area without sufficient regeneration, resulting in desertification in arid areas and loss of habitat and biodiversity
• * Deforestation by region
• Ecological restoration - the role of trees in restoring degraded natural and built environments
• Flood control - addresses forests ecological role in natural regulation of rainfall
• Forest dieback - where trees on the periphery of a stand are killed by acid rain or parasites
• Forest fragmentation - occurring when forests are cut down in a manner that leaves relatively small, isolated patches of forest, resulting in high amounts of edges and subsequent loss in wildlife habitat and biodiversity
• Forest transition - shift from a period of net forest area loss to a period of net forest area gain for a given region or country
• High grading - type of selective logging that removes the highest timber quality trees, resulting in poor genetic stock for subsequent generations
• Illegal logging - the unlawful harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber, contributing to deforestation, corruption, and destabilization of international markets

  Forest resource assessment

Timber metrics

Surveying techniques

Timber volume determination

Stand growth assessment

• Economics

  Harvesting

Harvesting methods

• Felling - process of cutting down a tree
• Bucking - splitting of a felled and delimbed trees into logs
• Scaling - measurement of felled trees to determine the volume of merchantable wood
• Skidding - transportation of logs from the site of felling to the landing along the ground
• Forwarding - transportation of logs from the site of felling to the landing above the ground, usually to minimize soil disturbance but limits the size or amount of logs that can be moved at once
• Hauling - long-distance transportation of logs from the landing to their final destination, usually with a semi-truck but occasionally with a train
• Woodchipping - grinding of logs into chips for engineered wood, mulch, paper, or fuel
• Cut-to-length logging - an expensive but efficient system where trees are felled, delimbed, and bucked to scale directly at the felling site
• Cable logging - skidding using a wire cable attached to the felled trees, most common in areas with steep topographic relief, variations include
• Shovel logging - transport of multiple logs close to the logging road using a stationary loader, often used to minimize soil disturbance
• Heli-logging - transport of logs from the forest to the landing via helicopter, most commonly used in inaccessible areas or to minimize impact on the soil
• Log driving - transportation of individual logs on a waterway to a mill or port downstream
• Timber rafting - transportation downstream of multiple logs bundled together into a raft, considered less dangerous than log driving

  Harvesting tools

Timber felling tools

• Hand
• Mechanized

  Log transportation tools

• Ground
• Water

  Forest products

Primary forest products

• Lumber - structural material for the construction of buildings or furniture making
• Paper - made from wood pulp derived from the timber stock pulpwood
• Paperboard - a thick packaging material derived from paper, cardboard is the generic term
• Veneer - thin layers of high-quality wood, often decorative but also the primary product in plywood
• Multilaminar veneer - like veneer, but utilizes plantation wood in accordance with the principles of sustainable forest management
• Oriented strand board - mainly used in structural insulated panels, has largely replaced plywood
• Fiberboard - a cheaper and denser form of plywood, used when cost is considered most important. Often used as the underlying structure in car dashboards
• Drywall - a gypsum plaster placed inside two sheets of paper, used commonly as the finishing step in construction of interior walls and ceilings
• Wood-plastic composite - made from recycled materials, is crack- and split-resistant and used commonly outdoors

  Secondary forest products

• Fuel
• * Firewood - the most unprocessed form of wood fuel, supplies the majority of the developing world's energy needs
• * Pellets - a byproduct from sawmilling, is formed from compacted sawdust, easy to transport and has a high combustion efficiency
• * Cellulosic ethanol and Biomethanol - second generation biofuels that are a potential replacement for gasoline
• * Charcoal - derived from tar, is used extensively in cooking, industry, and water purification, among others
• * Black liquor - a byproduct from pulp production, can be gasified and used as a syngas
• Byproducts
• * Cork - used to stop wine bottles and as the core in baseballs
• * Tar - mainly used as a sealant for shingles and watercraft hulls
• * Turpentine - derived from tar, historically used extensively to thin oil-based paints and a protective furniture wax
• * Rubber - wide range of commercial and industrial uses, tires and tubes are the largest consumer uses
• * Creosote - historically been used as a disinfectant, laxative, and to treat coughs
• * Tall oil - a cheap alternative for use in soaps, lubricants, and drilling fluid
• Ecosystem services
• * Carbon sequestration - a technique for long-term storage of carbon to combat global warming
• * Water purification - riparian forests act as biofilters to capture and biologically degrade pollutants
• * Outdoor recreation - provides the natural infrastructure needed for ecotourism
• * Land rehabilitation - the restoration of degraded land to its former state, largely accomplished through phytoremediation

  History of forestry

History of forestry, by period

Ancient forestry

• Primitive forest management
• History of forestry in China

  Early modern forestry

• Pre-mechanical forestry
• History of forestry in Europe
• Naval forestry
• Colonial forestry

  Modern forestry

• Forestry during World War I
• Forestry in the Alps
• Forestry in Brazil
• * Deforestation in Brazil
• ** As a major environmental issue
• * Forest governance in Brazil
• * Selective logging in the Amazon rainforest
• Forestry in Chile
• Forestry in China
• Mechanized forestry
• Scientific forestry
• Boreal forestry
• Tropical forestry

  Contemporary forestry

• Urban forestry
• Plant a million trees
• Environmental forestry
• Forest restoration
• Ecological forestry

  History of forestry institutions

History of forestry law

• History of forestry law
• Forest rights

  History of forestry agencies

• History of forestry agencies

  History of forestry organizations

• History of the European Forest Institute
• History of the Food and Agriculture Organization
• History of the Forest History Society
• History of the Forest Stewardship Council
• History of the International Tropical Timber Organization
• History of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations
• History of the Royal Forestry Society of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland
• History of the Society of American Foresters

Historic schools of forestry

History of forestry as a profession

• History of forestry as a profession

History of forestry research

• History of forestry research

  History of forestry conferences

• History of forestry conferences

  History of forestry science and technology

• History of silviculture
• History of forestry technology

  Forestry education

• Forest research institutes - formal forest research institutes around the world
• Forestry technical schools - specializing in technical or practical training in forestry
• Forestry universities and colleges - institutions worldwide providing graduate and/or undergraduate education leading to a degree in forestry
• Historic schools of forestry - schools of forestry throughout history

  Forestry organizations

• Confederation of Forest Industries

  Governmental forestry agencies

• List of forestry ministries - government forestry agencies, by country

  International forestry organizations

• ASEAN-ROK Forest Cooperation
• Avoided Deforestation Partners
• Center for International Forestry Research
• Coalition for Rainforest Nations
• Collaborative Partnership on Forests
• Commonwealth Forestry Association
• Community Forestry International
• Congo Basin Forest Partnership
• Conservation International
• European Arboricultural Council
• FERN
• Forest Peoples Programme
• Forest Stewardship Council
• The Forest Trust
• Forestry Information Centre
• Forests Monitor
• Foundation for Environmental Education
• Global Forest Coalition
• Global Forest Information Service
• Global Forest Information System
• International Analog Forestry Network
• International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences
• International Forestry Students' Association
• International Society of Arboriculture
• International Tropical Timber Organization
• International Union for Conservation of Nature
• International Union of Forest Research Organizations
• NICOL Forests UK
• Plant A Tree Today Foundation
• Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification
• Rainforest Action Network
• Rainforest Alliance
• Rainforest Foundation Fund
• RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests
• Resource Extraction Monitoring
• Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil
• Sustainable Forestry Initiative
• Taiga Rescue Network
• Trees 4 Children
• Tropenbos International
• United Nations REDD Programme
• United Nations Forum on Forests
• World Rainforest Movement

  Forestry publications

• List of forestry journals - academic journals in forestry and related fields

  Notable people

• John Evelyn - known for his knowledge of trees, and his treatise Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber
• - Austro-Hungarian founder of the, 1809, later to become the Mining and Forestry Academy, in what today is Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia
• Heinrich Cotta - German silviculturist and pioneer of modern scientific forestry, founder of the Royal Saxon Academy of Forestry
• Georg Ludwig Hartig - prominent forest manager, author, and founder of one of the first dedicated schools of forestry in Europe; affiliated in his later years with the University of Berlin
• Alfonse Romanovich Vargas de Bedemar - "one of the founders of the Russian school of forest mensuration"
• Franklin B. Hough, MD - chief of the United States Division of Forestry, the "father of American forestry"
• Sir Dietrich Brandis - considered the "father of tropical forestry"
• Sir William Schlich - founder of Oxford University's forestry program
• Bernhard Fernow - laid the groundwork for the United States Forest Service, founding dean of the first professional forestry school in the United States
• Gifford Pinchot - first chief of the United States Forest Service and proponent of the Wise Use Movement
• Carl A. Schenck - responsible for incorporating German scientific management techniques into American forest management, and founder of Biltmore Forest School, the first forestry school in the United States
• Károly Bund - early academic and practical forester whose work in the Hungarian National Forestry Association increased treeplanting and intensified efforts to protect natural forests, indigenous tree species, and forestry workers in Austria–Hungary
• Robert Scott Troup - founder of Oxford's Imperial Forestry Institute
• Theodore Salisbury Woolsey, Jr. - used scientific forestry to help France address timber shortages during World War I
• Aldo Leopold - cofounder of The Wilderness Society along with Robert Marshall, prominent naturalist writer and environmental ethicist
• Kenneth Dupee Swan - notable photographer for the USDA Forest Service
• Bob Marshall - cofounder of The Wilderness Society, which helped pass the Wilderness Act, which created the first legal definition of wilderness and conserved some of national forest land in the United States
• Walter Bitterlich - world-renowned Austrian scientist, best known for the invention of variable plot sampling
• Jack C. Westoby - Chief Forester, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, "father of world forestry"
• Sakari Pinomäki - pioneer of mechanized forest harvesting vehicles, decreasing the time required for harvesting and risk to loggers
• Stephen C. Sillett - revolutionized the approach and methodology of studying plant and animal life in old growth canopies of large trees

  Allied fields

• Botany - study of plant life and development that explains the biological basis of trees, such as structure, growth, reproduction, metabolism, response to disease, and chemical properties
• Conservation biology - conscientious management of forests can preserve or enhance biodiversity of dependent species
• Dendrochronology - method of scientific dating based on the analyses of tree-ring growth patterns, analysis of long-lived individual trees can provide insight into climatic conditions of the past
• Ecology - whose principles are the main scientific basis of forestry
• Ecophysiology - study of an organism's physiology to environmental conditions that explains the success of a particular tree species' growth, reproduction, survival, and abundance
• Forest history - documents natural and human history of forests and forest use
• Natural resource management - brings together planning, management, conservation and sustainability of human use of natural resources, including forests
• Rural sociology - studies human perceptions, interactions and use of forests and associated resources
• Soil science - physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil greatly determines the success of tree species and individuals