Forestry

Forestry is the science and craft of caring for forests.

It involves planting, managing, and repairing woodlands. This work helps both people and the environment. Foresters look after natural stands of trees. They also manage plantations where trees are grown for specific uses. This field uses many different sciences to work well. It includes biology, physics, and even social studies. Modern forestry uses a plan called multiple-use management. This means the forest serves many different purposes at once. It provides timber and fuel wood for our needs. It also protects wildlife habitats and keeps our water clean.

Forestry even helps protect the landscape and our communities.

One important part of forestry is called silviculture. Silviculturists use this method to control forests for timber production. They also focus on something called genetic diversity. This means the trees have different DNA sequences. Using high-quality seeds helps trees grow better in certain spots. Genetic diversity is very important for a healthy forest. It helps trees stay strong against pests and diseases. It also helps them adapt to a changing environment. Without this variety, forests might not survive new challenges.

Foresters must also study dendrology to understand woody plants. This is a part of botany that classifies trees and shrubs.

Forestry has a long and interesting history. People have written about it in English for hundreds of years. One early book was the Booke of Survey from 1565. Another was written by John Manwood in 1592. Later, John Evelyn wrote a book called Sylva in 1662. Today, many people study forestry in universities. In the United States, the Society of American Foresters accredits these programs. In Canada, graduates from special programs receive silver rings.

There is even an international group for forest research. The International Union of Forest Research Organizations coordinates science efforts worldwide.

Forestry is a huge part of the world economy. It provides more than 86 million green jobs globally. In Germany, forests cover nearly one third of the land. This supports over a million jobs in that country. The wood from these forests is a very important resource. Forestry in Germany adds about €181 billion to the economy each year.

In other parts of the world, life is different. About 880 million people collect wood for fuel or charcoal. Many of these people are women. In some low-income areas, forest living can be quite hard. About 252 million people in forests earn less than $1.25 a day.

Forests face many dangers that foresters must watch for. In 2015, fire affected about 98 million hectares of forest. Most of this happened in tropical areas. Africa and South America had two thirds of these fires.

Other things like insects and bad weather also cause damage. In 2015, these issues hurt 40 million hectares of forest. This mostly happened in temperate and boreal regions. Climate change also creates new threats for many tree species. Foresters work hard to manage these risks through urban forestry and land care. They help keep trees healthy even in busy cities.