Silviculture

Silviculture is the "art and science of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests and woodlands to meet the diverse needs and values of landowners and society on a sustainable basis," and is where the rubber hits the road in the field of forestry. Contemporary forestry and forest management relies on silviculture for fuels reduction (thinning), forest regeneration, restoration, habitat development, and conservation more than ever before. Alternative approaches to classical silvicultural systems are widely employed for multiple use goals, such as regenerating desired species while maintaining appropriate structure and composition for wildlife habitat. My research program is strongly focused on further developing, demonstrating, and monitoring alternative silvicultural approaches for the common Interior West forest types: pinyon-juniper, Douglas-fir, mixed-conifer, aspen, lodgepole pine, and spruce-fir types. As the climate warms and maintaining forested areas becomes more important, understanding the importance of regeneration silviculture, in combination with enrichment planting of climate-adapted seedling stock will be imperative. 

DeRose, R.J., Long, J.N., Waring, K.M., Windmuller-Campione, M.A., Nelson, A.S., and Nabel, M.R. 2024. What does it mean to be a silviculturist? Journal of Forestry 122(2): 185–193. (link)