Australia’s forests and forestry glossary

A condition in trees where the apical dominance of the shoot at the top of the plant is lost, allowing lateral buds to grow into two or more stems or leaders.

See Apical dominance.

With respect to mapping forests, compilation of data from a range of different sources, followed by assessment and validation to arrive at a best-possible dataset for the attribute being mapped.

Publicly owned state forest, timber reserves and other land on which a range of forest values are managed by state and territory government agencies in accordance with relevant Acts and regulations. The forest values can include provision of wood for harvest, supply of water, conservation of biodiversity, recreation, and environmental protection.

One of six land tenure classes used to classify land in the National Forest Inventory.

See Land tenure, National Forest Inventory.

A disease caused by a strain of guava or eucalypt rust (Austropuccinia psidii) that damages or kills species in the Myrtaceae family of plants.

Australia’s system of integrated national forest data, compiled from state, territory and Australian government agencies, industry information, and independent, remotely sensed data, using national standards and protocols for collation and reporting. Used to meet national and international forest-related reporting requirements. Includes the forest categories ‘Native forest’, ‘Commercial plantation’ and ‘Other forest’.

See Commercial plantation, National Plantation Inventory, Native forest, Other forest.

Australia’s system for measuring and monitoring changes in greenhouse gas emission and sequestration; includes modelling of carbon stocks and stock changes. Previously referred to as the National Carbon Accounting System.

See Greenhouse gas.

Australia’s national inventory of commercial forest plantations, a program of the National Forest Inventory.

See Commercial plantation, National Forest Inventory.

Australia’s network of protected areas, conserving examples of natural landscapes and native plants and animals. The National Reserve System comprises Commonwealth, state and territory reserves, and protected areas on private land, Indigenous land, and land managed by conservation organisations.

A system developed by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments that provides information on the extent and distribution of vegetation types.

A species located within its natural range.

See Non-native (of species).

A National Forest Inventory forest category that comprises national forest types dominated by the suite of native tree species naturally associated with forest in that location and located within their natural range

‘Native forest’ does not include forest reported in the other two national forest categories used in the National Forest Inventory, ‘Commercial plantation’ and ‘Other forest’.

See Commercial plantation, National Forest Inventory, Native forest type, Other forest.

Any one of eight broad national forest types (Acacia, Callitris, Casuarina, Eucalypt, Mangrove, Melaleuca, Rainforest, and Other native forest) into which Australia’s native forests are classified in the National Forest Inventory.

See National Forest Inventory.

The recognition in Australian law that Indigenous people have rights and interests to land and waters according to their traditional law and customs. Native Title is governed by the Commonwealth Native Title Act 1993.

See Indigenous (of people).

Components of the natural environment that have aesthetic, historic, scientific or social significance, or other significance, for current and future generations.

See Cultural heritage.

Crown land that is formally reserved for environmental, conservation and recreational purposes, including national parks, nature reserves, state and territory recreation and conservation areas, and some formal reserves in state forests as defined by jurisdictions. It does not include informal reserves and those pending gazettal. The commercial harvesting of wood and non-wood forest products is generally not permitted in nature conservation reserves.

One of six land tenure classes used to classify land in the National Forest Inventory.

See Conservation reserve, Crown land, Land tenure, National Forest Inventory.

The net area of forest available and suitable for commercial wood production on multiple-use public native forest land after allowing for local and/or operational constraints on wood harvesting, including constraints mapped during forest operations. These constraints can include areas reserved to protect rare, fragmented or dispersed values; areas managed for purposes excluding wood harvesting; areas excluded through codes of forest practice or other regulatory instruments; areas excluded due to operational constraints; and areas found to be unsuitable for wood production.

See Code of forest practice, Forestry operations, Harvesting, Multiple-use public forest, Production forest, Protected area, Reserve.

Log taken from the main trunk or branches of a tree above the crown break (the height of the first major branch). The non-bole material in mature trees is additional to the sustained yield.

Vegetation communities and habitats that are not forest, including marine environments, alpine meadows, other woody vegetation (including sparse woody vegetation, heathland and shrubland), grassland, non-forest waterways and wetlands, rock outcrops, mudflats and farmland.

See Forest, Habitat, Sparse woody vegetation, Vegetation community, Wetland.

Land that does not carry forest. Land on which forest is regrowing or will regrow under current management is classified as forest land.

See Forest land.

A policy, recommendation or guideline, or a system of policies, recommendations and/or guidelines, with a defined intention that they be abided by to achieve a desired outcome, but without legal penalties for non-compliance.

See Legally binding instrument.

A tree species with no currently known commercial uses for wood products, based on standards, technology or market conditions.

See Merchantable tree species.

A species located outside its natural range.

See Native (of species).

Native forest that is not managed for commercial wood production.

See Production forest.

A plant without a water-conducting system, such as algae, liverworts and mosses.

See Vascular plant.

A product of biological origin, other than wood, derived from forests, including game animals, seeds, berries, chemical products, mushrooms, oils, foliage, medicinal plants, flowers, fodder, and wood and non-wood Indigenous artefacts.

See Wild harvest.

See National Vegetation Information System (NVIS).

See Non-wood forest product (NWFP).

Ecologically mature forest where the effects of past disturbances are now negligible.

See Ecologically mature, Mature, Senescent.

As a National Forest Inventory cover class, forest in which the tree crowns cover from over 50% to 80% of the land area.

See Closed forest, Crown cover, National Forest Inventory, Woodland forest.

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Crown land reserved for a variety of purposes, including utilities, scientific research, education, stock routes, mining, water-supply catchments, and use by Indigenous communities. Excludes leasehold forest, nature conservation reserve, and multiple-use public forest.

One of six land tenure classes used to classify land in the National Forest Inventory.

See Crown land, Land tenure, National Forest Inventory.

A National Forest Inventory forest category that principally comprises non-commercial plantations and planted forests that are not reported through the National Plantation Inventory but that satisfy the definition of forest.

‘Other forest’ includes agroforestry plantations, sandalwood plantations, environmental plantings, plantations within the reserve system, and plantations regarded as not commercially viable. Non-planted forests dominated by introduced species are also included in this category.

‘Other forest’ does not include forest reported in the other two national forest categories, ‘Commercial plantation’ and ‘Native forest’.

See Agroforestry, Commercial plantation, Environmental planting, Forest, Introduced species, National Forest Inventory, Native forest, Plantation, Sandalwood.

Low-quality sawlogs, girders, poles, piles, wood used in mines, split and round posts, bush sawn/hewn timber and sleepers, fuelwood logs and firewood, and other logs that are not sawlogs (including sliced veneer sawlogs) or pulplogs. This category can also include other log types if not included elsewhere, such as peeled veneer logs.

Differs from the category ‘Other wood products’ in including fuelwood logs and firewood.

See Other wood products.

As a national native forest type used by the National Forest Inventory, one of several types of forest of minor extent such as those dominated by trees of the genera Agonis, Atalaya, Banksia, Hakea, Grevillea, Heterodendron, Leptospermum, Lophostemon or Syncarpia, as well as native forests where the type is unknown.

See Commercial plantation, National Forest Inventory, Native forest, Native forest type.

A National Forest Inventory category of land or forest subject to Native Title determinations, registered Indigenous Land Use Agreements and legislated special cultural use provisions. Independent of tenure, these can provide Indigenous peoples and communities with the right to access areas of cultural significance, use areas for cultural purposes, or be consulted before major development activities.

See Indigenous co-managed (of land or forest), Indigenous managed (of land or forest), Indigenous owned (of land or forest), National Forest Inventory.

Low-quality sawlogs, girders, poles, piles, wood used in mines, split and round posts, bush sawn/hewn timber and sleepers, and other logs that are not sawlogs (including sliced veneer sawlogs) or pulplogs, but not fuelwood logs or firewood. This category can also include other log types if not included elsewhere, such as peeled veneer logs.

Differs from the category ‘Other log products’ in excluding fuelwood logs and firewood.

See Other log products.

See Sparse woody vegetation.

A row of trees felled in a plantation, including to allow travel of machinery.

See Senescent.

1. The uppermost layer of foliage in a forest.

2. Trees occupying the uppermost layer in a forest of more than one layer (storey).

An organism that spends a significant proportion of its life attached to or within a single host organism, and that ultimately kills (and often consumes) the host. Used to limit numbers of insect pests in commercial plantations.

A panel product made by compressing wood particles (usually from softwood) and resin under heat and pressure, commonly used in flooring and joinery.

See Fibreboard, Reconstituted wood products.

Basic unit of a landscape vegetation mosaic.

The spatial arrangement or configuration of types of vegetation, including forest, across the landscape.

A log suitable for rotary peeling to produce veneer. Excludes veneer logs used to produce sliced veneer.

See Rotary peeling, Veneer log.

The set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism, resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment.

See Genotype.

A tissue in vascular plants that transports soluble organic compounds (e.g. sugars) from the leaves to other parts of the plant.

See Cambium, Vascular plant, Xylem.

A process in plants in which energy from sunlight and carbon dioxide from the air are used to produce plant matter, releasing oxygen.

1. Soil-based disease (root-rot) that infects plant roots causing damage and dieback.

2. An oomycete (water mould) that causes root-rot of plants, and consequent dieback. 

See Dieback.

A roundwood product that meets specified marine durability requirements and is used principally for wharves and to support the framework of buildings in a marine environment.

1. A true pine is any tree of the genus Pinus in the family Pinaceae.

2. Can also refer to a tree of other conifer families, such as Araucariaceae (hoop pine, Wollemi pine), Cupressaceae (cypress pine, King Billy pine) and Podocarpaceae (Huon pine, plum pine, celery-top pine).

See Conifer, Softwood.