Introduction

This is a course about the principles and practice of tree growth for restoration of degraded forests and for forest plantation development. The course consists of five modules and module 1 starts with an overview of elements of forest ecology related to the growth and regeneration of a forest. This module aims to be a refresher on plant science terminology and ecological concepts required to understand and complete assessment tasks in the modules that follow. To ensure the full benefit is gained from this introductory module, students are encouraged to look up unfamiliar terms in a dictionary; so take time to work your way carefully through the module materials. The module develops an understanding of forest ecology and the origin of variability in forest types, as well as revising the different stages of individual tree growth, of overall stand development and of the role of disturbance in initiating or resetting tree and stand growth.

Objectives

The objective of this module is to review elements of forest ecology directly relevant to seed and vegetative regeneration and ecosystem processes related to the growth of a forest. An objective of this module is to refresh your understanding of important forest science terminology and concepts.  A further objective is to introduce you to the principles of ecosystem ecology as a way to manage trees for restoration or plantation development.

Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:

• Describe how temperature and precipitation determine the distribution of vegetation with similar ecological and physiognomic character at a landscape scale
• Discuss the nature of different forest biomes and be able to locate them on a map
• Describe the study of forests at the ecosystem-scale and outline the benefits of ecosystem ecology compared with community ecology
• Explain the pattern of growth of trees individually and in stands as a basis for understanding the dynamics of forest growth and the development of crown classes;
• Define two contrasting stand structures resulting from forest regeneration (even-aged stands and mixed-age stands) following disturbance;
• Identify the main strategies for regeneration (seeders and sprouters).