Forestry Terminology

1. DBH tape- Diameter at Breast Height
2. Silviculture- the study of forests
3. Clear-cut- the removal all trees in a woodlot
4. Thinning- the removal of selected trees in a woodlot
5. Conservation- the protection and development of land to benefit the land and areas near by.
6. USDF or USFS- Unite States Department of Forestry or United States Forest Service
7. Old growth Forest- at least 100 years old
8. Snag- Dead Tree
9. Tree Bore- Device used to drill into a tree
10. Clinometer- Device used to measure slope of land
11. Densiometer- Device used to derermine Canopy Cover
12. Coniferous- Cone Producing
13. Hardwood- ex. oaks and hickories
14. Forest- A large area with trees 500 acres
15. Woodland- a small forest
16. Riparian Zone-a zone of vegetation used to protect waterways
17. Buffer- a protection zone of vegetation
18. Canopy- tops of the trees
19. Cutting Cycle- a cycle used to keep different age groups of trees
20. Logging- cutting trees for money
21. Pruning- cutting sections of a tree to benefit the tree
22. Salvage Cut- cutting trees that are damaged but are still marketable
23. Prescribed Burn- burning land to remove fuel (dead material)
24. Seed Tree Cut-leaving trees to reseed the area
25. Shelterwood Cut- leaving trees to protect younger trees
26. Even aged management- no more than 2 age cycles
27. Coppice- developing new stands with suckers
28. Selection Cut-selecting certain trees to either cut or save
29. Sanitation Cut- removal of trees that are not marketable (lightning, bugs)
30. Uneven aged management- more than 2 age cycles
31. Low Thinning- cutting of smaller trees in a woodland
32. Crown Thinning- cutting of taller trees in a woodland
33. Dominant Thinning- cutting of the dominant tree in a woodland
34. There are 8 forest Regions
1. Northern Coniferous Forest
2. Northern Hardwood Forest
3. Pacific Coast Forest
4. Rocky Mountain Forest
5. Central Broad-leaved Forest
6. Oak-Pine Forest
7. Bottomland Hardwood Forest
8. Tropical Forest
35. Virginia has one dominant and one other type
1. Oak/Pine
2. Some Central Broadleaf (extreme west)
36. Wilderness-forest that has never been touched by human hands
37. Understory- growth below the main canopy