TERMINOLOGY

A

  • Acre: A unit of land area equal to 43,560 square feet, commonly used in the U.S. to measure land.

  • Agroforestry: A land management system that combines trees with crops or livestock to improve biodiversity and sustainability.

B

  • Biodiversity: The variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

  • Board Foot: A unit of measure for lumber, equal to a board that is one foot long, one foot wide, and one inch thick.

C

  • Canopy: The upper layer of trees in a forest, forming a dense layer of foliage that provides habitat and shade.

  • Chip-N-Saw: Medium-sized logs that are processed into both chips for paper production and small lumber pieces.

  • Clear-Cutting: A logging practice where all the trees in a specific area are cut down at once. This method is often used to harvest timber quickly but can have significant environmental impacts.

  • Cruise (Timber Cruise): A survey method to estimate the volume, type, and quality of timber in a forest.

D

  • Diameter at Breast Height (DBH): A standard method of measuring the diameter of a tree at 4.5 feet above the ground.

E

  • Ecosystem: A community of living organisms and their physical environment, interacting as a system.

  • Even-Aged Management: A forest management practice where trees in an area are all of similar age and size.

F

  • Feller Buncher: A motorized vehicle with an attachment that can cut and gather several trees before laying them down.

  • Forester: A professional who manages and conserves forests and forest resources.

  • Forest Management: The practice of planning and implementing practices to maintain and enhance the health, productivity, and biodiversity of forests.

  • Forwarder: A logging vehicle used to carry felled logs from the stump area to a loading site or roadside.

G

  • Growth Rings: Rings visible in a cross-section of a tree trunk, representing a year of growth.

  • Group Selection: A selective harvesting method where small groups of trees are cut, creating openings that encourage the growth of new trees.

H

  • Habitat: The natural environment in which a particular species of plant or animal lives.

  • Harvester: A large machine that cuts, debarks, and processes trees into logs in a single operation.

  • Harvesting: The process of cutting down trees and removing them from the forest for use in manufacturing products.

  • High-Grading: Harvesting only the most valuable trees, often leading to a decline in forest quality.

I

  • Invasive Species: Non-native species that spread rapidly and cause harm to the environment, economy, or human health.

L

  • Loader: A machine used in logging operations to load cut timber onto trucks for transport.

M

  • Merchantable Timber: Trees that are of sufficient size and quality to be sold for lumber or other products.

  • Mixed Forest: A forest that contains both coniferous (evergreen) and deciduous (leaf-shedding) trees.

P

  • Patch Cutting: A method of logging small areas within a larger forest to mimic natural disturbances and promote regeneration.

  • Pulpwood: Smaller-diameter trees or lower-quality wood used primarily for making paper and other pulp products.

R

  • Reforestation: The process of planting trees on land where the forest has been cut down or destroyed.

S

  • Sawlogs: High-quality logs large enough to be sawed into lumber for construction and furniture.

  • Sawtimber: Trees large enough to be cut into lumber for construction or furniture.

  • Selective Harvesting: Cutting specific trees while preserving the overall structure and biodiversity of the forest.

  • Silviculture: The practice of managing the growth, composition, and quality of forests to meet diverse needs and values.

  • Skidder: A vehicle used in logging to pull cut trees out of the forest to a loading area.

T

  • Thinning: The selective removal of trees in a forest to improve the growth and health of the remaining trees. This helps reduce competition for resources among the trees.

  • Timberland: Land that is primarily used for growing and harvesting timber.

U

  • Understory: The layer of vegetation beneath the canopy in a forest, consisting of shrubs and small trees.

V

  • Veneer Logs: High-quality logs used to produce veneer sheets for plywood and fine wood products.

W

  • Wildlife Corridor: A strip of natural habitat connecting populations of wildlife separated by human activities or structures.