Australia’s forests and forestry glossary

Displaying a range of structural, functional and compositional attributes and ecological processes characteristic of forests in their mature or senescent growth stages.

See Mature, Old-growth forest, Senescent.

As defined in Australia’s National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development (1992), using, conserving and enhancing the community’s resources so that ecological processes, on which life depends, are maintained, and the total quality of life, now and in the future, can be increased.

The integration of commercial and non-commercial values of forests so that the welfare of society (both material and non-material) is improved, while ensuring that the values of forests (whether as a resource for commercial use, for conservation, or for ecosystem services) are not lost or degraded for current and future generations.

Some jurisdictions have legislated principles of ecologically sustainable forest management that have to be considered in managing public forests.

See Sustainable forest management (SFM).

Use of natural resources within their capacity to sustain natural processes, while maintaining the life-support systems of nature and ensuring that the benefit of use by the present generation does not diminish the potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations.

A dynamic complex of plant, animal and microorganism communities and their non-living environment, interacting as a functional unit.

The diversity of different ecological communities formed by living organisms and the relations among them.

See Biodiversity, Ecological community, Genetic diversity, Species diversity.

1. The benefits (goods and services) provided by ecosystems, and the contributions that ecosystems make to human well-being, arising from both biotic and abiotic processes as well as their interaction.

2. The benefits people obtain from ecosystems, including supporting services, provisioning services, regulating services and cultural services.

Also known as environmental services.

See Ecosystem.

Tourism that features places of ecological interest, such as forests, and experience of the environment.

The effect or influence of an area of vegetation on an adjacent area of vegetation. This can include the effect of adjacent non-forest land on a forest stand, the effect of a forest stand on adjacent non-forest land, the effect of a mature forest stand on adjacent regenerating forest, or the effect of regenerating forest on an adjacent mature forest stand.

See Connectivity, Fragmentation.

A native species/ecological community facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. One of the categories of threatened species/ecological communities defined in the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

See Critically endangered species/ecological community, Ecological community, Extinct, Extinct in the wild, Threatened ecological community, Threatened species, Vulnerable species/ecological community.

A species of plant or animal that occurs naturally only in a specified region or country.

See Exotic, Indigenous (of species), Introduced species.

Manufactured composite wood products produced from wood fibres, particles or veneers, and used in a variety of construction and engineering applications. Includes fibreboard (such as medium-density fibreboard, MDF), plywood, cross-laminated timber (CLT) and laminated veneer lumber (LVL).

See Cross-laminated timber (CLT), Fibreboard, Laminated veneer lumber (LVL), Plywood, Veneer.

Conforming to specified requirements in environmental laws, regulations, environmental management systems, management plans, planning specifications, codes of practice, standards or prescription guidelines.

See Code of forest practice, Environmental management system.

A framework for the systematic management of an organisation’s environmental obligations and objectives.

Trees or forest stands established for environmental benefit (rather than for commercial use), usually by direct seeding or planting.

See Agroforestry, Commercial plantation, Other forest, Plantation.

See Ecosystem services.

Shoots growing from dormant buds that lie under the bark of some trees, such as eucalypts, and which are activated by damage (such as fire), changes to available light, or other factors.

See Ecologically sustainable forest management (ESFM).

Any member of the genera Angophora, Corymbia and Eucalyptus, being trees or large shrubs in the family Myrtaceae, mostly native to Australia.

As a national native forest type used by the National Forest Inventory, forest dominated by trees of any of the three genera Angophora, Corymbia and Eucalyptus.

See Eucalypt, Native forest type.

A large genus of trees, shrubs and mallees, that dominate forests across wide areas of Australia.

See Eucalypt forest.

Native forest in which all trees are about the same age or of the same age class, often as a result of a disturbance event, even though the trees may vary in size because of their different rates of growth or location within the stand.

See Age class, Disturbance, Uneven-aged forest.

A tree and/or shrub that retains green leaves throughout the year.

See Deciduous.

The conservation of species and genetic components of biological diversity outside their natural habitats.

See In situ conservation.

Forest excluded from wood harvest or management operations as a result of the application of a prescription in a code of practice (such as for reserve management).

See Code of forest practice, Harvesting, Management by prescription.

A species of plant or animal that does not occur naturally in a region or country.

See Endemic, Indigenous (of species), Introduced species.

A species for which there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died, or for which exhaustive surveys in known or expected habitats throughout its historical range have failed to record an individual over a time frame appropriate to its lifecycle and form. One of the categories of threatened species defined in the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

See Critically endangered species/ecological community, Endangered species/ecological community, Extinct in the wild, Threatened species, Vulnerable species/ecological community.

A species known to survive only in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalised population well outside its past range, and that has not been recorded in its known and/or expected habitat at appropriate seasons anywhere in its past range, despite exhaustive surveys over a time frame appropriate to its life cycle and form. One of the categories of threatened species defined in the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

See Critically endangered species/ecological community, Endangered species/ecological community, Extinct, Threatened species, Vulnerable species/ecological community.

See Agroforestry.

The collective description for members of the animal kingdom. Fauna include mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and insects.

See Flora.

The capacity of an individual, population or species to reproduce or multiply. Can be measured as the rate of production of viable, fertile offspring that survive to reproductive age.

See Fertility.

The capacity of an individual, population or species to reproduce sexually.

See Fecundity.

A category of reconstituted wood panel products made from pulpwood and/or wood-processing residues such as woodchips, sawmill shavings and sawdust plus a resin or binder, pressed into panels. Types of fibreboard (in order of increasing density) include particleboard, medium-density fibreboard (MDF), high-density fibreboard and hardboard.

See Reconstituted wood products.

A strip of vegetation retained along a drainage line, stream or river to retard the flow of runoff.

See Buffer, Riparian zone, Runoff.

The frequency, intensity, seasonality and scale or patchiness of burning of an area or vegetation type over a period of time; the history or forecast of fire events in a particular area or vegetation type.

Wood used as fuel for residential heating.

See Fuelwood.

The collective description for members of the plant kingdom. Flora include trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses, ferns and mosses.

See Fauna.

Study of the presence, abundance, distribution and relationships of plants over a geographic area.

An area, incorporating all living and non-living components, that is dominated by trees having usually a single stem and a mature or potentially mature stand height exceeding 2 metres and with existing or potential crown cover of overstorey strata about equal to or greater than 20%. This includes Australia’s diverse native forests and plantations, regardless of age. It is also sufficiently broad to encompass areas of trees that are sometimes described as woodlands.

This definition used in Australia is different from the definitions of forest that apply in some other countries, or the definition used by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

See Commercial plantation, Crown cover, Native forest, Other forest, Overstorey, Plantation.

Conversion of forested land to agricultural, urban or other non-forest land uses.

See Broadscale clearing, Deforestation, Land clearing.

1. A specified and defined area of forest.

2. An area of forest managed by an agency, private organisation or individual, including the trees, flora, fauna, soil, streams, water-bodies, roads and other infrastructure.

See Defined forest area, Indigenous estate (land or forest).

The effects of the sum of the ecosystem processes (energy, nutrient, hydrological and biological processes) that together maintain the vitality of a forest ecosystem.

The systematic collection of data to determine a broad range of biophysical, commercial and non-commercial values in a forest. Forest inventories can cover the area of forest, the volume and/or value of wood, and the extent and diversity of non-wood values.

Land on which forest is growing. Land on which forest is regrowing after disturbance, or has the potential to regrow after disturbance, is also classified as forest land.

See Disturbance, Forest, Non-forest land.

Dense regrowth stands where severe competition for resources prevents individual tree growth, and stand growth effectively ceases. Also known as ‘locked-up forest’.

A system of practices and activity for conservation, stewardship and productive use of forest land, aimed at fulfilling desired environmental, economic and social functions and objectives for the forest.

A documented, long-term plan for a forest area that defines management goals, objectives and outcomes that are monitored and periodically reviewed, and that expressly includes the management of forest. Forest management plans can also include natural resource, environment, vegetation and catchment management plans that cover and include a focus on forests, and strategic management planning systems required for forest certification.

A codified set of procedures and guidelines for forest management.

See Code of forest practice, Forest management.

A human community having an identified dependence on a forest area, typically through employment in the forestry and wood products industries.

A species that requires a forest habitat for at least part of its lifecycle, and that could not survive or reproduce in the absence of this habitat.