What is forestry or logging

Forestry encompasses the activities of planting, maintaining and exploiting forest crops (forests and mountains). It is considered a sister science of agriculture, although with certain differences between them, mainly in terms of the production methodology, since in forestry results are obtained after dozens of years (depending on the cultivated species), while in the agriculture, the fruits and crops are obtained in months.

During the practice of forestry , forests are cultivated with different treatments and techniques, with the aim of ensuring their maintenance and optimally using the different natural resources that they can produce. In this way, forestry is responsible for maintaining the well-being and productivity of the different forest ecosystems that we can find in any corner of the planet.

Silviculture is responsible for the management of forests and woodlands in order to obtain from them a permanent production that meets the needs and services that are demanded by society. It is based on the principles of sustainability of goods and quality, using various treatments that allow the use of the crop for different purposes and over a long period of time.

In this way, depending on the role of a certain crop, the forester will apply different treatments to obtain, for example, wood, firewood or fruits .

The main objective of forestry will always be to allocate the forest spaces available for growth, to the cultivation of trees from which some benefit can be obtained, such as wood, cork or paper . Different plants that will be used as fodder for livestock are also included in forestry crops.

In the early days of forestry, optimal production of wood crops was exclusively pursued. However, currently other ecological objectives are also considered that include more resources of the silvicultural system, such as: producing several crops in the long term and having a balance between the biological, ecological and economic needs of the crop , in order to always guarantee the renewal of their resources.

To better understand the need for forestry or logging , always well managed, we recommend that you read What is the importance of forests and jungles , as well as think about all the benefits that they bring you on a day-to-day basis (from cleaning the air to paper, wood, food …).

We can find two types of forestry or forestry exploitation :

What is extensive forestry

It encompasses activities within the environmental, economic and social environments. In this type of forestry, the crops are distributed in different areas of natural forests. With the practice of extensive forestry, environmental protection is achieved in cultivated forest areas, as well as offering different services to the population (tourism and environmental education) and guaranteeing the production and maintenance of forests and mountains.

What is intensive forestry

It uses different varieties of silvicultural management techniques to ensure optimal productivity of the forest area dedicated to cultivation.

Like everything else, forestry has advantages and disadvantages. These are the advantages of forestry :

• Among the main advantages of forestry is the afforestation of areas with few trees and / or even in desert areas, such as reforestation after a fire. Here you can learn what reforestation is, its importance and objectives .
• It is also a source of life for many species, both plant and animal.
• It also provides many environmental benefits because it helps purify the air through carbon fixation, cleans and feeds rivers, and supplies different sources of drinking water.

For all these benefits of forestry , it is of great importance to us. Currently, it can contribute significantly to overcoming the challenges faced by forests and at the same time minimize climate change, also meeting different sustainable development objectives.

However, forestry has some disadvantages, mainly when it is not well managed. Thus, it is vitally important that foresters know well the terrain of the crops that work to maintain forests and mountains. Otherwise, it will be very easy for them to harm the environment, endangering the animal and plant species that inhabit the area. Thus, when poorly managed, forestry can pose an environmental problem if there is an imbalance caused by human factors, such as excessive logging, the planting of incompatible species , and so on.

If you are interested in forests, their care and their regulated exploitation, we recommend that you look for ways to participate in the improvement of these green spaces, both as a community and individually. To do this, we offer you this other AgroCorrn article in which we tell you how to take care of forests . In addition, in this other post you can discover all the Types of forests, their characteristics and photos .

If you want to read more articles similar to What is forestry or logging , we recommend that you enter our category of Other environment .