Forest management

Sustainable forest management carried out by Complejo Panguipulli has contributed to the preservation of the forested landscape around Neltume, a sawmill town in Chile

Forest management is a branch of forestry concerned with the overall administrative, economic, legal, and social aspects and with the essentially scientific and technical aspects, especially silviculture, protection, and forest regulation. This includes management for aesthetics, fish, recreation, urban values, water, wilderness, wildlife, wood products, forest genetic resources and other forest resource values. Management can be based on conservation, economics, or a mixture of the two. Techniques include timber extraction, planting and replanting of various species, cutting roads and pathways through forests, and preventing fire.

Public input and awareness

There has been an increased public awareness of natural resource policy, including forest management. Public concern regarding forest management may have shifted from the extraction of timber to the preservation of additional forest resources, including wildlife and old growth forest, protecting biodiversity, watershed management, and recreation. Increased environmental awareness may contribute to an increased public mistrust of forest management professionals.

Many tools like GIS modelling have been developed to improve forest inventory and management planning.

Wildlife considerations

The abundance and diversity of birds, mammals, amphibians and other wildlife are affected by strategies and types of forest management.

Education in Forest Management

Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal,run by Ministry of Environment and Forest, India offers two years Post Graduate Diploma in Forestry Management, which deals with various technical, managerial aspects of Forestry, Environment, Natural Resources and Social Development.

See also

• Biodiversity
• Community forestry
• Certified wood
• Conservation biology
• Environmental protection
• Even aged timber management
• Forest farming
• Forest informatics
• Growth and yield modelling
• Habitat conservation
• Healthy Forests Initiative
• Natural environment
• Natural landscape
• Nature
• Outline of forestry
• Overexploitation
• Renewable resource
• Sustainability
• Sustainable development
• Sustainable forest management
• Sustainable forestry

References

Deforestation and increased road-building in the Amazon Rainforest are a significant concern because of increased human encroachment upon wild areas, increased resource extraction and further threats to biodiversity.