Silviculture

This section of the encyclopedia serves as a brief primer on silvicultural concepts and techniques. For readers who are familiar with the concepts of silviculture, but would like to know how these techniques are applied to specific forest types in the southern Appalachians, please see Timber.

Silviculture is the theory and practice of controlling the establishment, composition, character, and growth of forest stands to satisfy specific objectives. Although the principal focus of silviculture is timber production, silviculture can also be used to manage a variety of other forest benefits such as aesthetics, wildlife habitat, biodiversity, watershed protection, or recreation.

The three main functions of a silvicultural system are: (1) regeneration, (2) tending, and (3) harvesting. Often, the functions of regeneration and harvesting are met simultaneously through harvesting methods that are designed to promote regeneration of subsequent stands. These regeneration harvest methods include even-age methods such as shelterwoods, uneven-age methods such as group selection, and two-age methods that couple reserve trees with other harvest methods. Site-preparation treatments may be a necessary component of a regeneration scheme. Such treatments include fire, mechanical site preparation, and weed control through herbicide application. Silvicultural techniques designed to tend developing or mature forest stands are grouped under the general classification of intermediate management. These treatments include thinnings, release operations, improvement cuttings, and salvage operations. In recent years, alternative silvicultural systems have been proposed that extend rotations and maintain or restore certain features of forest structure during regeneration harvests.