BASIC TERMINOLOGIES RELATED TO FORESTRY
Afforestation: Afforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees (forestation) in
an area where there was no previous tree cover.
Agroforestry: Agroforestry is defined as a sustainable land management system which
increases the yield of the land, combines the production of crops and forest plants and/or
livestock simultaneously or sequestially on the same unit of land.
Artificial regeneration: The process of renewal of a forest by sowing, planting or other
artificial means.
Basel area: Basal area of tree is defined as the total cross-sectional area of all stems in a
stand measured at breast height.
Bole: The main stem of a tree. Sometimes used to refer to only the lower part of the stem up
to a point where the main branches are given off.
Breast Height (BH): Breast height is defined as the universally adopted standard height for
measurement of girth, diameter and basal area of standing trees. In India, Burma, America
and Union of South Africa, it is taken as 1.37 m above the ground level while it is 1.3 m in
Europe, United Kingdom, FAO and other commonwealth countries.
Canopy: The cover of the branches and foliage formed by the crown of group of trees in
forest stand.
Cleaning: Cleaning is defined as a tending operation done in a sapling crop which involves
removal of inferior growth includes individuals of favoured species.
Clear bole: The part of a bole that is free of branches.
Commercial bole: The length of bole that is ordinarily fit for utilization of timber.
Community forestry: The practices of forestry on the land outside the conventional forest
area for the benefit of local population.
Coppice: Coppicing is the tendency of certain tree and brush species (such as Eucalyptus) to
produce a large number of shoots when a single or few stems are mechanically removed but
the root system left intact.
Crop density: The relative completeness of the tree stocking expressed as decimal
coefficient, taking normal number of trees, basal area or volume as unity.
Crown height: Crown height is the vertical length from the ground level to the point half
way between the lower green branches forming green crown all round.
Crown length: Crown length is the vertical measurement of the crown of a tree from the tip
to the point half way between the lower green branches forming green crown.
Crown width: Crown width is the maximum spread of the crown along its widest diameter.
Crown: Crown is the upper branchy part of the tree above the bole.
Deforestation: Deforestation is the process that result in the long-term change in land use to
non-forest uses or harvesting of forests.
Ex situ conservation: Ex-situ conservation is the relocation of endangered or rare species
from their natural habitats to artful habitats equipped for their protection and preservation.
Farm forestry: Growing of trees along the farm bunds and in small patches upto 0.1 ha in
area for timber, pole and fuelwood purpose.
Fauna: Fauna includes the total animal life of an area.
Flora: Flora includes the total plant life of an area.
Fodder: Plants or plant part eaten by browsing or grazing animals.
Forest mensuration: Forest Mensuration is that branch of forestry that deals with the
determination of dimensions (e.g. diameter, height, volume etc.), form, age, and increment of
single trees, stands or whole woods, either standing or after felling.
Forest: Forest is a large uncultivated tract of land covered by different kind of trees, shrubs
herbs and grasses.
Forestry: Forestry is defined as the theory and practice of all that constitutes the creation,
conservation and scientific management of forests and the utilization of their resources.
Growing stock: The sum (by number or volume)of all the trees growing in the forest or
specified part of it.
Improvement felling: Improvement felling is defined as removal or destruction of less
valuable trees in a crop in the interest of the better growth of the more valuable individuals.
In situ conservation: In-situ conservation is is the methods of conserving all the living
species, especially the wild and endangered species in their natural habitats and environment.
Increament: Increment is the increase in growth, diameter, basal area, height, volume,
quality or value of individual trees or crops during a given period.
Multipurpose trees (MPTs): Multipurpose trees are trees that are deliberately grown and
managed for more than one output such as food, fuelwood, fodder and timber etc.
Natural regeneration: The process of renewal of a forest stand by natural seeding,
sprouting, suckering.
Pruning: Pruning is defined as removal of live or dead branches or multiple leaders from
standing trees for improvement of trees or its timber.
Pure forest: The forest composed almost entirely one single species, to the minimum extent
of 50 percent are called as pure forest.
Reforestation: Reforestation refers to planting trees on land that was previously forest or it is
the process of planting trees in a forest where the number of trees has been decreasing
Regeneration: Regeneration is the process of renewal of a forest stand by natural or artificial
means.
Rotation: Rotation is the period from regeneration to harvesting of the trees or crop.
Silvics: Silvics is defined as the study of life history and generally characteristics of forest
trees and crops with particular reference to environmental factors, as the basis for the practice
of silviculture.
Silviculture: Silviculture is defined as the art and science of cultivating forest crops. Also
defined as the theory and practice of controlling forest establishment, composition and
growth.
Social forestry: The planting and tending of trees or shrubs or practices of forestry which
aims at meeting the requirement of rural and urban population.
Standard timber: The length of bole from ground level up to the point where the average
diameter over bark is 20 cm.
Stump: The remaining short part of a stem after harvesting the tree whose height ranges in
between 10 to 15 cm.
Taper: The stem diameter decreases from base to upward is known as taper.
Tending operation: Tending operation is defined as an operation carried out for the benefit
of a crop at any stage of its life from seedling to mature stages.
Thinning: Thinning is defined as felling made in a immature stand for the purpose of
improving growth and form of trees.
Tree form: The tree form is defined as the rate of taper of a log or stem.
Tree height: Tree height is the straight line distance from the tip of the leading shoot
(heighest point of the crown) to the ground level.
Weeding: Weeding is the process to remove out the weeds. Weeds are unwanted plants
which grown along the useful crops.
