Forest Ecology and Management

What is forest ecology and management?

Forest ecology is the study of densely wooded areas, otherwise known as forests. It is a type of ecology that focuses more on populations, communities and landscapes. There are different types of forests, such as deciduous and evergreen, temperate and boreal or rainforests.¹

Forest management is the practice of looking after woodlands for a range of objectives, from protecting biodiversity and the soil to growing a new forest. Wooded areas can also be managed for commercial uses, such as fruit, fuel or timber production.²

Why is forestry ecology and management important?

Forests are vital for human societies. They keep our air clean and protect the soil. They provide a home to animal and plant species, and they absorb carbon in the air to keep our climate cooler.³ Forests are also a valuable source of food, fuel and timber. ⁴

Forests cover a significant part of our world – just over 30 per cent of the earth’s total land area.⁵ Therefore, there is an important need to understand these aspects of our world and better manage them.

What are the surrounding issues of forestry ecology and management?

The main aim of forest ecology is to understand how living organisms behave in the forest. Since forests harbour a large proportion of the world’s species, we need to better understand how they live and survive. Forests are also being cut down at a rapid rate around the world.⁶ There are growing efforts to protect and expand them, which requires an understanding of how forests thrive.

Many forests are also managed extensively for commercial purposes, such as for fuel, timber and wood products, food and oils. Hence, knowledge of forest ecology and management is necessary to understand how commercial activity affects their health and biodiversity.⁷

What is the call to action?

Our first call to action should be to protect forests around the world. Deforestation – the destruction of forest land – is one of the biggest threats we face as humans. Forests are necessary for the health of the planet, as they recycle air and protect the soil. But, deforestation has continued apace around the world.⁸

Secondly, we should be calling on our governments to put aside increased land area for new forests. Through investment in forest ecology and management, we could expand forest cover and protect the land and climate.

1. www.nature.com. (n.d.). Forest ecology – Latest research and news | Nature. [online] Available at: https://www.nature.com/subjects/forest-ecology [Accessed 8 Feb. 2021]
2. www.sciencedirect.com. (n.d.). Forest Ecology – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. [online] Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/forest-ecology [Accessed 8 Feb. 2021].
3. World Resources Institute. (2019). 7 Things to Know About the IPCC’s Special Report on Climate Change and Land. [online] Available at: https://www.wri.org/blog/2019/08/7-things-know-about-ipcc-special-report-land-and-climate.
4. www.bioversityinternational.org. (n.d.). Sustainable food systems include food from forests. [online] Available at: https://www.bioversityinternational.org/news/detail/sustainable-food-systems-include-food-from-forests/
5. Worldbank.org. (2018). Forest area (% of land area) | Data. [online] Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.FRST.ZS.
6. Worldbank.org. (2018). Forest area (% of land area) | Data. [online] Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.FRST.ZS.
7. www.sciencedirect.com. (n.d.). Forest Ecology – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. [online] Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/forest-ecology [Accessed 8 Feb. 2021].
8. Worldbank.org. (2018). Forest area (% of land area) | Data. [online] Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.FRST.ZS.