What is the difference between forestry and silviculture

The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Ask Question. Asked 10 years, 9 months ago. Active 2 years, 7 months ago. Viewed 10k times. Improve this question. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Improve this answer. Forestal which strangely is not reported in the NOAD and forestation are derivates of forest , not forestry.

I updated the answer to reflect what I really meant. Would it perhaps be helpful and accurate to mention a tree farm as a place where one would practice "silviculture" but not "forestry", or to suggest that someone who cares for animals or plants other than trees in a forest might be practicing "forestry" but not "silviculture"?

Grewe Kokkor Grewe Kokkor 2 2 gold badges 5 5 silver badges 12 12 bronze badges. Except that M-W defines silviculture as "a branch of forestry dealing with the development and care of forests" and Wiktionary has it as "The care and development of forests in order to obtain a product or provide a benefit; forestry. In sustainable forestry, the effort is put to ensure that all the resources that are taken from the forest are replaced. Only old trees may be cut down allowing younger trees to grow and ensure continuity.

Trees are also planted to replace the ones cut down. Silviculture is the agriculture of trees, i. The purpose can include anything from firewood, timber, paper, income, wildlife habitat, water quality, recreation, or any other values a forest is capable of providing. In other words, managing trees for timber is different from managing trees for firewood or conservation!

Silviculture is the art and science of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, and quality of forest vegetation for the full range of forest resource objective. In simpler terms, to define silviculture, you need to understand that it involves manipulating a forest for specific human needs. However, foresters need to ensure that their management is ecologically sound, is within all the economic constraints and is acceptable by society.

In a way, silviculture and sustainable forestry are similar to the concept of sustainable development. A more complex definition of silviculture includes the reference to the Latin word, Silvics. Ergo, silviculture would imply the application of silvics to the management of a tree. Poor silvicultural decisions often arise when foresters fail to consider at least one of the three aspects of silvicultural decision making.

Some examples of poor silvicultural decisions include:. A key point in the concept of defining silviculture is that forests could be managed for various goals including:. Silvicultural systems are added to an individual stand to achieve a specific management objective.

When selecting crops, the following criteria should be prioritised:. Agro-forestry can improve the resilience of agricultural production to current climate variability as well as long-term climate change through the use of trees for intensification, diversification and buffering of farming systems. Trees have an important role in reducing vulnerability, increasing resilience of farming systems and buffering agricultural production against climate-related risks. Trees are deep rooted and have large reserves, and are less susceptible than annual crops to inter-annual variability or short-lived extreme events like droughts or floods.

Thus, tree-based systems have advantages for maintaining production during wetter and drier years. Second, trees improve soil quality and fertility by contributing to water retention and by reducing water stress during low rainfall years. Trees can reduce the impacts of weather extremes such as droughts or torrential rain. For example, a combination of Napier Grass and leguminous shrubs in contour hedgerows reduced erosion by up to 70 per cent on slopes above 10 per cent inclination without affecting maize yield in central Kenya Mutegi et al, Research has also demonstrated that the tree components of agro-forestry systems stabilise the soil against landslides and raise infiltration rates Ma et al, This limits surface flow during the rainy season and increases groundwater release during the dry season.

Agro-forestry can also play a vital role in improving food security through providing a means for diversifying production systems Box 1. Agro-forestry systems require substantial management. Incorporating trees and crops into one system can create competition for space, light water and nutrients and can impede the mechanisation of agricultural production. Management is necessary to reduce the competition for resources and maximise the ecological and productive benefits.

Yields of cultivated crops can also be smaller than in alternative production systems, however agro-forestry can reduce the risk of harvest failure. To plan for the use of trees in agro-forestry systems, considerable knowledge of their properties is necessary.

Desirable information includes the uses: the climatic adaptations of the species, including adaptations to various soils and stresses; the size and form of the canopy as well as the root system; and the suitability for various agro-forestry practices. The selection of crops also requires knowledge of uses, adaptation, and market opportunities Martin and Sherman, It is also important to understand how trees and crops interact.

In simultaneous agro-forestry systems, trees and crops can share above-ground and below-ground space. Trees and crops interact in many ways, leading to both positive and negative effects on the growth of both trees and crops.

These processes, which are very complex, are related to light, water, nutrients and wind. These processes also affect the soil itself. There are also indirect interactions, for instance related to pests and diseases. Cycling of soil organic matter, nutrients and water are processes that are central to understanding the interactions in agro-forestry systems.

Knowledge is also required about the main laws and decrees that influence the management of natural resources. It is important to understand the concept of tree and land tenure, including both the formal legal system and the traditional tenure systems and to be familiar with policies related to land use, soil and vegetation, and socioeconomics, including trade and market policies.

An understanding of national, regional and local development plans and programmes relevant to agro-forestry and natural resource management is also required. The institutional context is essential to natural resource management and agro-forestry. The main categories of institutions with a bearing on agro-forestry are shown in Table 4.

The policy and legal framework is of great importance for the sustainable management of natural resources. Local government and forestry authorities should be lobbied to simplify the legal processes for commercialisation of native wood and non-timber products grown in agro-forestry systems.

Increased adoption of agro-forestry should be supported by government through finance. Research and training is required to match high value agro-forestry species with the right agro-ecological zones and agricultural practices Neufeldt et al, The implementation of the agro-forestry farming approach should be accompanied by the organisation of farmers into cooperatives in order to improve their capacity to negotiate better prices for their goods and avoid paying a percentage of their profits to intermediaries.

Joining cooperatives gives farmers the status of organised producers, facilitating access to larger markets and organic and fair trade certification. Farmers should also receive training on management issues, decision-making and participation in local administration, such as participatory budget and development planning at municipal level. Agro-forestry provides an excellent opportunity to promote sustainable forest management while improving income-generating opportunities for local communities.

Agro-forestry can provide a more diverse farm economy and stimulate the whole rural economy, leading to more stable farms and communities.

Economic risks are reduced when systems produce multiple products. Likewise, this approach prioritises conservation and rehabilitation measures such as watershed rehabilitation and soil conservation.

Connecting countries to climate technology solutions. Toggle navigation. Breadcrumb Home. General agro-forestry, silviculture and mixed farming solutions Objective:. Agriculture and forestry.