FORESTRY

Study Forestry

Learn to manage forests for timber production, natural woodland, plantations, farm forestry and urban forestry. 

Why Learn to Grow Trees?

• A foundation for working in forestry
• Environmental management and improvement/ carbon sequestration
• Diversify land use, value add on a farm
• Produce timber

Where can you do Forestry?

Trees were once harvested from natural forests without any thought of the consequences. Clearly the climate crisis has changed that scenario considerable. Nevertheless, there are still massive advantages to growing trees; and if harvesting timber is managed sustainably, forestry can be a profitable industry on many fronts, supplying a renewable and valuable commodity.

Trees can be grown in plantations, or mixed in with other land uses. eh. Urban forestry, farm forestry.

Lesson Structure

There are 9 lessons in this course:

1. The Scope, Nature and Fundamentals of Forestry
   • Introduction to Forests
   • Tree Value
   • Understanding Wood
   • Tools in Forestry
   • Power Tools and General Tool Maintenance
   • Deciding on Tools in Agroforestry Applications
   • Extending Chain Life
   • Duty of Care in The Workplace
   • Protective Equipment
2. Timber Types
   • Introduction to Timber and Forest Products
   • Different Types of Wood and Their Uses
   • Composites
3. Harvesting
   • Tree Felling and Stump Removal
   • Protecting Trees
   • National Tree Registers
   • Keeping the Work Site Safe
   • Duty of Care
   • Costing Jobs
4. Milling and Processing
   • Introduction to Processing Timber
   • Turning Trees into Timber
   • Reviewing Saws
   • Effecting of Shrinkage
   • Wood Preservation in Cut Timber
5. Plantation and Forestry Management
   • Introduction
   • Key terms
   • Silviculture
   • Shelterbelts
   • Pruning and Thinning
6. Conservation & Restoration Forestry
   • Introduction to conservation and restoration
   • Forestry for Wildlife Conservation
   • Forestry for Erosion Control
   • Forestry for Salinity Control
   • Design Options including wide-spaced, clump and cluster and woodlots
7. Agroforestry
   • Introduction to agroforestry
   • Benefits of Agroforestry including carbon sinks and credits
   • Agroforestry in Farming
   • Future Developments
8. Urban Forestry
   • Introduction to Urban Forestry
   • Selecting Tree Species
   • Where to Plant
   • Environmental and Health Benefits of Trees in Urban Environments
   • Production Benefits of Trees in Urban Environments
9. Project: Planning a Commercial Timber Production
   • Project Based Activity: to write a plan for commercial timber production on a small 5-acre woodlot, taking account of the site specific and environmental considerations.