Forestry

FORESTRY is a broad field of activity comprising the art, science and practice of managing forested landscapes for both consumptive and non-consumptive uses. Its major divisions include inventory (counting and measuring FOREST attributes), engineering (planning and executing harvest), protection (preventing and treating damage from diseases, pests and fire) and SILVICULTURE (establishing and managing new forests). These activities are usually conducted under the direction of professional foresters who, since 1947, have been registered by the Assoc of BC Professional Foresters. In the past, forestry focussed on timber harvesting and processing, but now it is concerned with a broader range of forest values, including fish, wildlife, water, recreation and forest diversity.
by Ken Drushka
Reading: Hammond, Herb, Seeing the Forest Among the Trees, 1991; Working Forest Project, The Working Forests of BC, 1995.