Forest management

Beneficial for students of Geography & Environmental Studies

1. Dr.Meenakshi Prasad
Assistant Professor
P.G. Department of Geography
Magadh University, Bodh Gaya

2. Disclaimer
The material for the presentation has been compiled from
various books and online sources & it is for general
information & educational purpose only. While the author
makes an endeavour to keep the information up to date and
correct she makes no representation of any kind about the
completeness and accuracy of the material. The information
shared through this presentation should be used for
educational purposes only.

3. Content:
Introduction
History of Forest Management
Forest Management : What is
it?
Process of Forest Management
Scope of Forest Management
Techniques of Forest
Management
Conclusion

4. Introduction
Forest is a valuable natural resource that can supply
different products and services.
Forest is a natural eco-system whose working is influenced
by the natural environment, i.e. climate, soil, topography,
etc. and also by human activity.
The actions of humans in forests constitute forest
management.

5. History of Forest Management
The concept of Forest Management originated in Europe,
particularly in Germany.
From the Middle Ages to the 16
th
century large tracts of forests
were destroyed in Germany and all across Europe to obtain
fuelwood, timber & forest products and due to grazing.
The trend continued in the 17
th
century.
Alarmed by the significant decrease in forested area it was felt
that this destruction could have been prevented had the forests
been utilised in a scientific manner and only the mature trees
were harvested.

6. In 1759, the term ‘forest’ was used for the first time by
Beckman in Germany.
After Beckman in 1791 Hartingdeveloped the ‘sustainable
yield concept’ in forestry where yield is available for a
longer course of time.
Hartingalso defined forest management as ‘the
determination of present and future yield of the forest’.
In 1804, another German Cotta defined forest
management as ‘the determination of forest yield’.

7. However, uptothis time the concept of forest
management was limited to the protection of forest from
depletion and to how it should be cut?
Later on the concept of the economy in the forestry was
developed.
In 1880, Johann Heinrich Cotta (son of Cotta) modified the
definition of forest management as ‘the management of
forest is not only the condition of the forest but economic
or national income should also been taken into account.’
The idea of economics was integrated and emphasised
because different forest need different investment.

8. Johann Heinrich Cotta is known as the
pioneer of modern forestry and was a
catalyst concerning the transition from
"timber production" to forestry as a
scientific discipline. He was interested
in all aspects of forestry, including
studies involving long-term seeding,
establishment of forested areas, and
tree-cutting based on mathematic
practices. Cotta's methodology was
based on a geometric survey of the
forest, where calculations of the wood
mass of individual trees as well as the
yield of the entire forested region were
made. By way of these calculations an
estimate for the monetary worth of a
forest could be assessed.
Johann Heinrich Cotta
Source: wikipedia

9. Forest Management : What is it?
‘Forest Management system is a process in which forests
are tended, harvested & regenerated.’
-Algonquin Forestry Authority, Canada
‘Forest management is the application of appropriate
technical forestry principles, practices and business
techniques (e.g., accounting, cost/benefit analysis, etc.)
to the management of a forest to achieve the owner's
objectives.’
-Randall B. Heiligmann

10. ‘Forest management is the process of planning and
implementing practices for the stewardship and use of
forests to meet specific environmental, economic, social
and cultural objectives. It deals with the administrative,
economic, legal, social, technical and scientific aspects of
managing natural and planted forests. It may involve
varying degrees of deliberate human interventions,
ranging from actions aimed at safeguarding and
maintaining forest ecosystems and their functions, to
those favouring specific socially or economically valuable
species for the improved production of forest goods and
services.’
-FAO

11. In simple words forest management is the practical
application of scientific, economic and social principles
for management of forests to achieve certain objectives.

12. Setting of Objectives
Resource Inventory
Development of Management
Strategy / Planning
Implementation of Strategy
Review of the Management
Plan
Process of Forest
Management

13. Setting of Objectives
•Forest management begins with the setting up of
objectives, i.e.what products and amenities does the
owner wish to obtain from the land.
•Objectives are laid down by the owner -the State or the
private owner as the case may be, and the management is
oriented to achieve the prescribed objectives.
•Some landowners may be interested in emphasizing only
one management objective. They might, for example, be
interested in maximizing the net financial return on
investment through timber yield, or they might wish to
develop the forest primarily as wildlife habitat.

14. •Management such as this, which emphasizes a single
resource objective, is called dominant-use management.
The forest can and will provide other products and
amenities as it is managed (e.g., cuttings to enhance
wildlife habitat will yield timber and/or income), but the
management plan is developed to enhance or improve one
(dominant) resource.
•In most cases forest owners, however, are interested in
obtaining more than one product or amenity from their
forests. They might, for example, desire income from
timber harvest, wildlife habitat enhancement, and the
maintenance of aesthetic quality. Forest management
designed to enhance or produce more than one product or
amenity is called multiple-use management.

15. Resource Inventory
•Once ownership objectives have been defined, forest resources are
inventoried and forest characteristics such as tree species,
condition, numbers, age, volume, value, growth, and basal area are
measured.
•Soil/site quality are evaluated to determine what the site can
produce.
•Depending on objectives, other resources may be inventoried such
as boundaries, wildlife, wildlife habitat, streams, trails, roads,
campsites, vistas, and easements.
•Inventory data are analyzedto determine what is present and what
the forest site is capable of producing.

16. Development of Management Strategy
•Based on the inventory analysis, one or more management plans are
then developed to achieve the ownership objectives.
•The careful development of a forest management plan in consultation
with a professional forester is essential if the desired objectives are
to be achieved.
•The forest management plan is the blueprint of activities for caring
for the forest.
•These forest management plans are based on and limited by what is
biologically/ecologically possible on the area, what is economically
and organizationally feasible, and what is socially and politically
desirable.

17. •The biological/ecological characteristics of the forest
(e.g., tree species, soil type, topography, etc.) determine
what is possible on the area, including such things as
which tree species will grow, how fast they will grow,
what wildlife will live on the area, etc. Based on the
biological/ecological characteristics of the site,
silvicultural practices can be prescribed to achieve
ownership objectives. Silvicultural prescriptions are
treatments designed to manipulate forested land such as
various kinds of timber cuttings, tree plantings,
prescribed burning, and the use of specific chemicals such
as herbicides and fertilizers.

18. •Economic/financial considerations may determine which
activities are feasible. If economic/financial objectives are
important to the landowner, then silvicultural activities
undertaken must not only be biologically/ecologically possible,
but also must contribute positively in the appropriate
economic/financial analysis. On the other hand, there may be
activities in which the landowner is willing to invest with little
or no expected financial return because of the expected non-
financial returns. These might include such things as the
development of hiking trails, vistas, or wildlife habitat.
•Similarly, limited financial or organizational resources may
restrict management activities in a woodland. Obviously, if a
landowner does not have the financial resources or laborto
accomplish desired activities, they won't be done.

19. •Finally, management activities are constrained by what is
socially and politically desirable. Activities that violate
the law are obviously unacceptable, and activities that
upset neighbours are generally not prudent.
Implementation of Management Strategy / Planning
•The management plan is then executed by the ground
level staff.

20. Review of the Management Plan
•It is important to remember, too, that the management
plan is not "cast in stone," but is an evolving plan that
should be periodically reviewed and updated.
•Changes in ownership objectives, forest inventory,
technology, and/or the business climate can all result in
the need for modification of a forest management plan.
•Thus, periodic reviews and updates of a management plan
becomes a must.

21. Scope of Forest Management
Scope of Forest Management is very extensive; it
encompasses broadly, the following main activities:
(A) Control of composition and structure of the growing stock
(B) Distribution and marketing of forest produce
(C) Administration of forest property and personnel

22. Control of
Growing
Stock, its
Structure and
Composition
(i)
Site
adaptation
(ii)
Choice of
species
(iii)
Manipulation
of stands
(iv)
Harvesting the
produce
(v)
Regeneration
(vi)
Protection

23. Distribution
and
Marketing
of produce
(i)
Transportation
and
communication
(ii)
logging Plan
(iii)
Marketing data
(iv)
Sale of produce
(v)
Revenue

24. Administration of
Forest Property &
Personnel
(i)
Forest
organization
(ii)
Management
of Personnel
(iii)
Monitoring
and control of
works
(iv)
Labour
management
and welfare
(v)
Financial
control and
economy
efficiency
(vi)
Fulfillmentof
social
obligations
(vii)
Record for
present and
future
reference

25. Techniques of Forest Management
Applying forest management practices to increase forest
productivity is called silviculture.
The following techniques are utilised in forest
management practices:
1.Timber Stand Improvement
2.Timber Harvesting
3.Regeneration

27. Controlling undesirable trees to remove undesirable
competition in the forest is called timber stand
improvement.
Methods of Timber Stand Improvement include thinning,
prescribed burning, mechanical treatment, and chemical
treatment.

28. Thinning
•Thinning is the process in which a selected number of
trees of desired and superior kind are kept in the forest
and the other trees are removed.
•Thinning results in faster growth for the remaining crop of
trees, and they reach a marketable size at an earlier age.
•Once it is decided to thin, trees to be removed should
include the following:

29. oSuppressed or dwarfed trees that have been overtopped
by superior trees.
oTrees with excessive crooks or forks.
oTrees severely infested with insects or disease or trees
heavily damaged by fire or other causes.
oLarge, excessively branchy trees called wolf trees that are
shading out or crowding more valuable trees.
oSelected trees from densely packed groups

30. Prescribed Burning
•In this technique certain selected
trees of the forest or a part of the
forest is intentionally burnt.
•Prescribed burning can improve the
health of the forest by reducing
competition,decreasing diseases
and pests, and decreasing the fire
intensity during wildfires.
Source: google images

31. Mechanical Treatment
•Mechanical Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) involves either hand
labour or machinery such as a heavy disk, double drum chopper,
or bush hog.
•These methods are very expensive.
•Other drawbacks include restricted equipment, maneuverability
in the woods, possible damage to desirable trees in the stand,
and unreliable kill of undesired trees, since they sprout back
from the cut stumps.
•Mechanical TSI is being replaced gradually by chemical TSI
methods, but is still justified on small tracts of forestland.

32. Chemical Treatment
•Chemical Timber Stand Improvement (TSI) involves the
application of plant-killing chemicals called herbicides.
•Herbicides can be sprayed onto the leaf, injected into or
painted on the trunk, or broadcast as granules on the
ground.
A combination of Timber Stand Improvement methods can
be utilized within the same year.

34. Clear Cutting
•Clear-cutting is the practice of removing all timber from a stand in one
cutting.
•It is the most economical method of harvest.
•It allows replanting of genetically improved trees.
•It allows the growing of trees that require full sunlight, and it can be used
to check forest insects and diseases by removing the infested trees.
•But clear-cutting also has its drawbacks in that wildlife habitat is damaged
or severely altered, soil erosion may be accelerated, and the clear-cut
areas are left with a marked, if temporary, appearance of devastation.

35. Select Cutting
•Select cutting or selection cuts involve the select removal
of timber as single trees, scattered trees or trees in small
groups at short intervals.
Seed Tree Cutting
•In seed tree cutting, the site is clear cut except for a few
desirable seed trees. Approximately 10-15 seed trees per
acre are left to cast seed over the entire area. The
number of seed trees left depends on size, species, site
conditions, and seed-bearing characteristics.

36. Shelterwood Cutting
•Shelterwood cutting employs the same technique as seed tree
cutting except that more seed trees are left per acre
(approximately 20-40). All seed trees are harvested once natural
regeneration is complete.
Diameter Limit Cutting
•Diameter-limit cutting, widely used in the past, is no longer
recommended.
•It involves removing trees of a certain diameter and larger.
•This system has fallen into disuse because it leads to removing the
best and leaving the poorest trees.

37. Regeneration is the establishment or reestablishment of a
forest.
Management activities for regeneration usually follow a
timber harvest or a natural disaster such as fire, hurricane, or
insect attack. Regeneration can occur naturally, or it can
occur artificially through tree planting or direct seeding.

38. Natural Regeneration
•Natural regeneration occurs from natural seeding or from
stump or root sprouts.
•It has the advantage of low cost.
•Natural regeneration from seed involves a heavy thinning,
called a seed cut, at the end of a rotation. Five to 15
seed-bearing trees per acre are left following this
thinning. These trees should be straight, disease-free, and
have full crowns for maximum seed production.

39. Artificial Regeneration
•In this method seedlings which are usually treated to
repel animals and insects are planted in the forest.
•It is comparatively an expensive method of regeneration.

40. Conclusion
Public awareness regarding the forest management policy has
increased with time.
Public concern about forest management has shifted from the
extraction of timber for economic benefits to the preservation of
additional forest resources including wildlife & old growth forest,
protecting biodiversity, watershed management and recreation.
Many tools like GIS & photogrammetry modelling have been
developed to improve forest inventory and management planning.
Sustainable management of forest resource is the need of the hour.

41. Referenced Sources
http://www.fao.org/forestry/sfm/85084/en/
https://forestrypedia.com/introduction-to-forest-management-and-its-
scope/
http://www.jnkvv.org/PDF/05042020181919DEFINITION%20AND%20SCOPE.pdf
http://ifs.nic.in/Dynamic/book/page3.pdf
http://www.irlenvirothon.org/uploads/08_Forest_Management_Techniques%5
B1%5D.pdf