Definition of Sylviculture

Sylviculture, étymologiquement the culture of the forests (of Latin silvæ, wood and forests), has as a role to make evolve/move the forests, by making profitable the ecological factors and the natural potentialities, in order to durably optimize the products and the services which the man can expect.
“Durable sylviculture” reinforces the idea that management must take care not to overexploit the medium so that it does not lose its potential in the future. Certain modes of management give a more constant attention to the environment and the biodiversity, of which Prosilva, with techniques concerned with what the Anglo-Saxons call “ecoforestry”, which can be validated by labels such as for example the FSC.
For reasons economic, sylvicultures seeks with (D) adjusting its offer of wood to the request, which is particularly difficult being given the relative slowness of growth of the trees, and because the request can vary in time (Colbert planted for the navy, but when the oaks became ripe the ships were built out of steel). An oil crisis makes climb the price of the wood, which can fall 10 years afterwards. The growth of the tropical wood imports with fact of losing its profitability certain drink local. A storm, fires, the climatic modifications are badly anticipated risks. After war one in France encouraged the coniferous trees for construction, but this market did not answer the hopes of the foresters. It is as a question of ensuring the owners of the incomes, knowing as hunting can contribute to it for 50% and more.
On the ecological level, the natural or little anthropized forest plays a conservatory part of animal and vegetable species and genes and, beyond, if its extent is sufficient, of the processes of evolution. But in the northern hemisphere and several tropical zones, the forests were very fragmented and became very artificial, losing part of the remarkable biological elements which they had preserved with last managements. Forestry operations (conversions of very artificial settlements) can be necessary to ensure the perenniality of these elements.
In addition, in certain cases, a forest will protègera better against departures of avalanches, crumblings or landslides if it presents (permanently) a composition, a structure and adapted age groups, which can be maintained by an active management.
As regards social or sociocultural aspects, certain forms of sylvicultures make it possible to work or maintain the landscapes appreciated, and to create the various conditions of reception and environment that the public seeks. Certain tree growers seek within this framework to limit the effects of the cuts to white, for example by decreasing their size or while preserving to hide them a wooded band which will also be useful of biological corridor and protective edge for the planted pieces or in regeneration. (Wikipedia)