Birth and Death of a Forest
A Forest is the result of decades of plant succession. On a deserted rock, first arrive the mosses. By their slow action, they break down rocks and create a slim substrate. Second, come herbs and grasses ready to continue the job. By growing and dying, they increase the layer of soil on the original rock. Third, grow bushes and shrubs. Finally, trees build the forest. This succession of stages is well-known by ecologists and almost predictable.
When trees are dominating the area, the forest has reached its climax. Only disturbances can break the equilibrium Nature has grown. Disturbances happen everyday. A deer may eat tree’s leaves and branches. A boar may lay down on young saplings. An old tree may die after centuries of a peaceful life. All these random events make the equilibrium dynamic and shape the evolution of the forest.
The essential goal of a forest manager is to maintain ecological processes to optimize economical outputs. The key rule would be to keep as much diversity as possible ; a diversity of species and a diversity of ages. Cutting sick trees and only few trees in a given area would be a sustainable practice to reach this goal. The forest should be seen as a complete organism : get rid of the bad parts and protect the good ones. You also have to be sure that what is good for you is good for the forest and vice-versa. For example, dead wood is good for the forest because it provides resources and habitat for animals. But who cares about dead wood ?
Another example is forest pasture. In the past, farmers used to bring their livestock to graze herbs, grasses and bushes in the wood. It cleared small patches enabling light to go through and giving a chance for saplings to grow tall. Moreover, the animals were like public transport for seeds to disperse far away from their parents. Nowadays, this practice is less common as few people are attracted by the herding way of life.
The good management can be rewarded by certifications allowing the forest owner to receive some funding or to sell his product at a more expensive price. It also makes him save money on inputs.
Sadly, most of the forest are not managed sustainably. For example, clear cutting is a standard practice around the world. All trees in an area are cut down, destroying animal habitat and fragilizing the soil. Obviously, this practice decreases the diversity of standing trees, but it also makes the neighboring trees vulnerable to wind or sunburn.
It is crucial to make the people aware of the impact of clear cutting and encourage policy-makers to subsidize the good practices. Then, forests will have a dynamic and balanced happy life.
If you learnt something valuable, consider clapping (up to 50 times). And don’t hesitate to share it to friends who may be interested in forest.
