Sometimes, it is difficult to comprehend everything involved in forest management. Some aspects might be forgotten, but this article should clarify what forest management approaches are in simple terms so you can be more aware overall.
What is Forest Management?
Forest management is a branch of forestry which incorporates multiple objectives for the management of forests. These include:
- Technical
- Social
- Economic
- Legal
- Scientific
- Administrative
These aspects mainly include:
- Forest regulation
- Forest protection
- Silviculture
Management within forests includes collecting forest resources it yields over time, such as:
- Plant genetics
- Wood products
- Timber
- Nearshore and inland fisheries
- Water
- Recreation
- Wildlife
- Aesthetics
- Urban values
Management within forests includes collecting forest resources it yields over time, such as:
- Plant genetics
- Wood products
- Timber
- Nearshore and inland fisheries
- Water
- Recreation
- Wildlife
- Aesthetics
- Urban values
All of the above forest sustainable management objectives are mainly for utilisation or conservation.
Techniques for utilisation from forests:
- Building roads
- Maintenance of roads
- Clearing pathways through forests
- Sustainable timber production and extraction
- Fuelwood
- Aid rural livelihoods
Techniques for woodland management conservation:
- Harvesting
- Reforestation
- Preventing forest fires
- Habitats for wildlife
- Mitigate climate change
Which Method is Used for Forest Management?
The most straightforward explanation is for all of the multiple functions and aspects listed above; the whole method in forest ecosystems management is to maintain the productivity of a forest and improve forest health.
Read more about the United Nations’ sustainable development goals which can include managing forests and ecological processes.
Public Input and Awareness of Forest Management
Increased public concern and general awareness of the management of forests and forest functions have happened recently due to people’s increasing knowledge of sustainability and the preservation of natural resources within the forestry sector.
It is no longer just about economic benefits for sustainable forest management, such as timber extraction, but providing and maintaining entire ecosystem services from the forest now. We are aware of just how important they are to sustainable living in the future. At first, there was an atmosphere of mistrust by the public, so sustainable forest management regulations were improved. This, however, significantly enhanced the understanding of the public and what forest management involves, as well as nature conservation, biodiversity, and other general ecological services that forests provide.
Tools have been developed in recent years to aid forest management and ecosystem services, such as remote sensing, photogrammetry modelling, and GIS. This helps manage forest inventory and forest management planning in the near future and long-term planning.
Why is Sustainable Forest Management Important?
If you are still unsure why forest management is so important, there are many reasons! Forest lands cover approximately one-third of the land on the planet. The environmental services natural forests provide can sustain us in plenty of ways and are suitable for:
- Water management
- Support economies
- Climate regulation
- Soil protection
- Food production
- Carbon sequestration
- Forest biodiversity conservation
Imagine forests not being appropriately managed and becoming unusable or disappearing altogether? Afforestation and illegal logging is still a problem today causing forest loss still, but before public awareness improved on forest operations, it was much worse, and forests were getting considerably smaller each year without any new trees planted to replace the ones being cut down.
Other Sustainable Forest Management Factors
- Practical sessions conduct research now at an international level.
- Forest policies and management plans are developing quicker.
- Time spent in protected areas by self-employed chartered foresters now offer practical experience to a significant proportion UK and EU students.
- Future generations will have raw material and long term sustainability because we are helping with the regeneration capacity of forests according to government policy in many countries.
- Additional costs will increase the social functions of rural communities in the future because other ecosystems will thrive on global levels (it’s all about the long game!)
- The European Union are developing a forest plan with different objectives with a holistic approach.
There are still many other benefits of forestry, but the list goes on forever!
How Many Types of Forests are There?
Three general types of forests can be found in the world:
- Boreal
- Temperate
- Tropical
These are then further split into subcategories; let’s look at them!
Tropical Forests
Latitude: 23.5 degrees North and 23.5 degrees South.
Temperature: between 68 degrees and 77 degrees Fahrenheit.
Average Annual Rainfall: approximately 100 inches.
Tropical forests have the most diverse range of species out of all the ecosystems across the planets. These forests also experience plenty of rain and no winter!
The humid air in these forests, coupled with the high temperatures, means a quicker decomposition rate. The rainfall also tends to reduce the nutrients in the soil, unlike others. On the other hand, the sun barely reaches the lower levels of a tropical rainforest due to the shade of densely grown trees providing a canopy. Therefore, the animals living in this habitat have adapted to it. You can find a vast range of animals in tropical forests, such as:
- Monkeys
- Snakes
- Birds
- Bats
The principal tree species and other plant life in a tropical forest consists of:
- Broad-leafed plants
- Palm trees
- Orchids
- Vines
- Mosses
- Ferns
The different categories of tropical forests are:
- Dry – these have a prolonged dry season where the trees lose their leaves.
- Seasonal – these have a short dry season and evergreen vegetation present.
- Evergreen: these receive rain year-round with no dry season.
- Montane – these receive the most precipitation, earning the nickname cloud forests from the fogs and mist rising from the lowlands.
- Subtropical – trees adapted to resist summer droughts because they are located at the very north and south of forests.
- Coniferous – these have dry and warm climates with conifer trees primarily present.
Temperate Forests
Keeping in mind the information about tropical forests, temperate forests are divided into two further categories known as temperate deciduous forests and temperate coniferous forests.
Temperate Deciduous Forests
Average Annual Rainfall: between 30 and 60 inches.
This type of forest experiences the four distinct seasons we have; precipitation occurs year-round, making the soils very fertile, unlike tropical forests.
These types of forests can be found in:
- Western Europe
- China
- Japan
- Canada
- Eastern USA
- Parts of Russia
The forest floor and trees of these places often contain:
- Wildflowers
- Ferns
- Mosses
- Birch
- Oak
- Maple
- Pine
- Fur
Animals within temperate deciduous forests have adapted to the cold winters experienced, so there are:
- Woodpeckers
- Hawks
- Red foxes
- Cardinals
Temperate Coniferous Forests
Average Annual Rainfall: between 50 to 200 inches.
This forest is often located in coastal areas with heavy rainfall and mild winters. Still, it can also appear in in-land mountainous regions with mild climates. There is a long growing season for plants in these conditions due to the high precipitation levels. The soils in temperate coniferous forests are rich and covered with decaying matter (which could perhaps be used for biomass one day!)
These types of forests can be found in:
- Northwestern Europe
- Southern Japan
- South America and the southwestern USA
- Northwestern pacific USA and Canada
- New Zealand
Trees grow very tall in this type of forest because of their high precipitation and average temperatures. Therefore, evergreen conifers are often the most present tree. There can also be:
- Spruce
- Cypress
- Douglas fur
- Redwood
- Pine
The animals found in this habitat include:
- Spotted owls
- Elk
- Deer
- Marbled murrelets
- Marmots
- Black bears
So if venturing into this kind of forest, remember the handy rhyme about bear attack survival:
Black fight back, brown get down, white good night.
Boreal Forests
Latitude: 60 and 50 degrees North.
Average Annual Rainfall: between 15 and 40 inches (in the form of snow)
This type of forest is also known as a taiga forest. They experience short summers and long winters, causing thin soil. Decomposition happens at prolonged rates because of the cold temperatures. The forest still has primarily evergreen trees like:
- Fir
- Pine
- Spruce
However, there is limited vegetation on the ground because of the dense forest cover canopy and cold weather.
As you might guess, the animals residing in a boreal forest have long since adapted to the extended cold winters and have thick fur, so you could expect animals like:
- Moose
- Wolverines
- Wolves
- Caribou
- Deer
- Elk
- Lynxes
- Snowshoe hares
These types of forests can be found in:
- Scandinavia (accounting for 65% of boreal forests)
- Northern Asia
- Canada
- Siberia
Knowing the variety of forests present worldwide and the range of animals and plants they host due to the different climates and conditions provided, you can see just how essential forests are to maintain and manage appropriately. Forest management in all of these forests matters for many reasons, one of them being biomass fuel for our energy supplies.
Types of Biomass Energy Sources
- Wood shavings
- Sawdust
- Logs
- Timber
- Fuel pellets
- Tree bark
- Wood chips
- Sawn off-cuts
- Trees
- Wood briquettes
What Trees are used for Biomass?
Knowing forests are a great source of biomass fuel if correct forest management is carried out, what kind of trees are often seen as the best type for biomass wood fuel? Some examples include:
- Ash
- Willows
- Poplars
- Sweet chestnut
- Alder
- Hazel
Do You Help With Forest Management?
At Woodyfuel, we have strong sustainability and environmental goals in mind when providing you with quality wood chips and wood pellets. Our company is a leading biomass wood supplier to Northern England, but we provide to the whole of the UK. We can provide you with the best biomass boiler and consistent wood supply with optimal performance.
You can have peace of mind knowing that you get the best quality products and services from us while knowing we stick strictly to environmental and sustainable goals according to BSL rules.
Site Clearance and Brash Removal
We can also offer prompt and professional brash clearance onsite for a cost-effective fuel source. Our experts have extensive knowledge of this sector and years of professional experience putting it into action to help our customers.
Many local forestry agents use our services for these reasons, so contact us today!
Environmentally Friendly Site Clearance
Our machines and processes used for site clearance remove many unnecessary steps often required in brash removal. The advantage of this means there is a reduced chance of needing other machinery in the forest area, such as hauling equipment, bulldozers or excavators (with official driving licence documentation). Overall, it reduces emissions caused by these machines, allowing more ecosystem resilience, and it has the added benefit of being more cost-effective!
Forest Management Compliance
As we have said, Woodyfuel is always respectful to the forests we work in and the biodiversity present within them. We can offer you forest certification paperwork to prove our environmentally-oriented business meets your contractual requirements for forestry England states.
We also replant and grow trees to meet the Forest Policy Research criteria!
Give us a call to discuss more of our services, and feel free to ask questions.
