The context of ecological silviculture
| Authors: | Brian J. J. Palik, Anthony W. D'Amato |
| Year: | 2024 |
| Type: | Book Chapter |
| Station: | Northern Research Station |
| Source: | In: Palik, Brian J.; D'Amato, Anthony W., eds. Ecological silvicultural systems: exemplary models for sustainable forest management. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.: 1-10. |
Abstract
In forestry, the tools to carry out on-the-ground management are found in the toolbox of silviculture, that is, the part of forestry that deals with the development and care of forests. This development and care can be all encompassing, including establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of trees and stands to meet the diverse needs of society. The planned program of all these activities, spanning the entire life of a forest stand, is termed a silvicultural system.
Ostensibly, such a definition for silviculture would seem to recognize most forests, outside of plantations, as natural ecosystems and that the tools to manage these ecosystems would be based on ecological principles. In reality, classical silviculture is largely based on principles of production agriculture, more so than the ecology of natural forests [1]. The outcome of the long-term application of an agricultural model to managed forest is near global-wide simplification of structure and composition [2], as well as a reduced ability to adapt to unexpected and novel threats [3].
This is where ecological silviculture comes in, which we define as an approach for managing forests, including trees, associated organisms, and ecological functions, based on emulation of natural models of development [2]. There are other closely aligned approaches that also are ecological that have similar aims, such as close-to-nature forestry (e.g. [4]). An explicit goal of ecological silviculture and allied approaches is to manage forests in ways that reduce the disparity between natural forests and their managed counterparts in terms of composition, structure, and function. Recognizing that this disparity cannot be eliminated in managed forests, particularly those where timber resources are highly valued, ecological silviculture still rests on the premise that managers can get closer to the natural model than classical silvicultural has allowed. Let us look at why this might be, by contrasting some of the main differences between the two approaches.