The Basics of Forestry and Forest Science

By Steve Nix, About.com Guide to Forestry

This is your resource to basic forest and yard tree management, silviculture, tree planting and tree care information. The guide helps you control forest and yard tree pests, sell trees and timber, purchase and plant tree seedlings, protect trees from pests, adverse weather and forest fire and find a forestry job.

1. Planting Trees and Forests
2. Tree Care and Protection
3. Fire in the Forest
4. Harvesting and Selling Trees
5. Saws and Sawmills

Planting Trees and Forests

Nurseries provide 1.5 billion trees for planting in the United States annually. This represents over six trees propagated for every U.S. citizen each year. Planting a tree can have tremendous influences on communities. Tree planting improves our environment, adds to our incomes and decreases energy costs. Planting a tree will enrich the quality of our life and, scientists says, improve our health. I can't think of many things that touch us so completely as does planting a single tree or entire forest.

• A Complete Guide to Tree Planting
• How and When You Should Plant a Tree
• Finding Tree Seedlings and Planting Tools

Tree Care and Protection

Tree care and forest management use techniques that have been much advanced using the methods developed by the sciences of silviculture and arboriculture. Learn more about how to care for your tree using all the proper methods.

• Ten Bad Things We Do To Our Trees
• Take the Tree Wellness Quiz
• Ten Tree Care Essentials for Tree Health and a Long Life

Fire in the Forest

Fire and forests go back to the prehistoric and they have existed together for millions of years. The temperate world's forest ecosystem has developed with forest fire as a preeminent partner - a regenerator, a rejuvenator but also can lead to a forest's ruination. This fire/forest/human symbiosis is complicated but essential and I tell you why.

• The Forest Fire Basics
• Introduction to Wildland Fire Suppression
• Prescribed Fire in Forests
• Wildfire Tragedies
• Smokey Bear

Harvesting and Selling Trees

A tree is a valuable and renewable resource. The science of forestry and silviculture has been developed to grow trees for many reasons and is especially devoted to growing mature forests for harvest and regenerating new stands for future forest products. Sustainablility (always having trees in various stages of maturity throughout the life of a forest) is the ultimate goal.

• A Guide to Selling Trees
• Understanding Wood Volumes
• Avoiding Timber Theft
• The Timber Sale Contract

Saws and Sawmills

If you've ever thought about using or purchasing a chainsaw or a portable sawmill, this section is developed just for you. Operating equipment with spinning blades to fell, buck, and saw large trees is inherently dangerous to do if you are not prepared.

• How to Fell a Tree
• An Expert Interview - Chainsaw Safety
• Buying a Portable Sawmill - a Mill Consultant Interview
• Questions and Answers About Chainsaws