Silviculture

Introduction

According to Toumey and Korstain, Silviculture is that branch of forestry which deals with the establishment, development, care and reproduction of stands of Timber. It is also defined as the "art and science of cultivating forest crops." Silviculture is not a purely biological science which has no relation with economics. Silviculture has been rightly described as an art and in this art intuition plays an important part. Silviculture is the combination of two common terms: Silvics and its practical application.

According to Indian forest and Forest product Terminology, Silvics is the study of life history and general characteristics of forest trees and crops with particular reference to environmental factors as the basis for the practice of Silviculture.

Thus silvics implies

It explains the natural law of their growth and development and their behavior in a given set of environmental conditions. The knowledge gathered in silvics is applied to the production and care of forest crops. Thus practice of Silviculture is the applied silvics.

Objects of study of Silviculture

The object of study and practice of Silviculture is to produce more useful and valuable forests to meet our multifarious requirements than nature would do. The study of silviculture helps in:

• Production of species of economic value.
• Production of larger volume per unit area.
• Production of quality timber.
• Reduction of rotation.
• Raising forest in blank areas.
• Creation of man made forests in place of natural forests.
• Introduction of exotics. 

Forestry is defined as theory and practice of all that constitutes the creation, conservation and scientific management of forests and the utilization of their resources.

The tree and the forest

Plant may be classified into the following three categories: Herb, Shrub and Tree

Herb is defined as plant whose stem is always green and tender and height is usually not more than one meter. It is annual, biennial, or perennial. Shrub is defined as a woody perennial plant differing from a perennial herb in its persistent and woody stem and less definitely from a tree in its low stature (Size, tallness) and its habit of branching from the base. Height of the shrub is not more than six metres.