Topic 1.1: Principles of Silviculture

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Background Information

Successful establishment and maintenance of a forest that meets the multiple demands of society requires knowledge of life science (for instance botany, plant physiology), environment science (soil science, meteorology), ecology (forest ecology), economics and sociology. Forest ecology is the foundation of silviculture, which deals with the principles underlying the growth and development of single trees and of the forest as a biological unit. Silviculture connects life science and environmental science in order to better understand the relationships between trees, trees and the environment, and trees and other organisms. Silviculture also includes economics and sociology as it considers the demands people place on forests. The forestry practitioner must keep abreast of current knowledge and ideas through learning and practicing in all these fields.

With such a broad knowledge base, silviculture needs input from systems science. First, a forest is a complex system of interactions among trees, other vegetation, animals and the environment. It is not merely the sum of its individual parts therefore it must be studied as a system. Secondly, afforestation is a system engineering project involving many disciplines (e.g., forestry, economy, land resources, agriculture, water conservancy, animal husbandry, environmental protection, recreation) System science theories and applications are essential in order to successfully implement this complex task.

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