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Glossary

Biomass

The dry weight of all organic matter in a given ecosystem. It also refers to plant material that can be burned as fuel.

Biome

A complex community of living organisms covering a large geographic area characterised by distinctive stable life-forms.

Biosphere

Regions of the planet where life is found, ranging from the oceans to the lower atmosphere.

Broadleaf forest

Continuous forest in which at least 75 percent of the forest canopy is composed of broadleaf trees (hardwood trees).

Canopy

The more-or-less continuous cover of branches and foliage formed by the crown of adjacent trees.

Clearcutting

A forest management method that involves the complete felling and removal of a stand of trees.

Coniferous forest

Continuous forest in which at least 75 percent of the forest canopy is composed of coniferous forest (softwood trees).

Cropland

Agricultural land cultivated for the production of crops. It may also include fallow land, feedlots, orchards, vineyards and nurseries.

Ecosystem

A functional system which includes the organisms of a natural community together with their environment; ecosystems can be viewed as encompassing large and small areas.

Ecozone

An area of the earth's surface that represents a large ecological zone and has characteristic landforms and climate.

Forest resource management

A holistic approach to forest management involving preservation, protection, extraction and development that includes managing two or more resources in the same general area, such as water, soil, timber, grazing land, fish, wildlife and recreation.

Hardwoods

Trees that loose their leaves in autumn. They belong to the botanical group Angiospermae.

Indicator species

An organism whose presence or absence suggests that certain environmental conditions prevail. It can be used to monitor how much of a factor is present, and how the environment is responding to stresses and changes.

Microorganisms

Microscopic one or multi-celled organisms such as bacteria, viruses, yeasts, algae, fungi and protozoans.

Mixed forest

Continuous forest in which there is a mixture of coniferous and broadleaf trees of up to 75 percent of one or the other.

Monoculture

Cultivation of a single crop or product on a piece of land to the exclusion of other products or crops.

Montane forest

A forest located in a mountainous area.

Natural regeneration

Renewal of a tree crop by the natural occurrences of seeding, sprouting, suckering or layering.

Old-growth forest

A stand of mature or overmature trees relatively uninfluenced by human activity. The stand can contain multiple layers of tree canopies, and various ages and species of vegetation.

Permafrost

A subsoil that remains frozen throughout the year.

Photosynthesis

The process whereby a plant or tree will produce oxygen from the synthesis of carbon dioxide, water and light.

Precambrian rock

Rock that originates from the geologic period in history from about 4.5 to 5 billion years ago to about 570 million years ago. Precambrian rock covers about 75% of the land area of the earth.

Rangeland and pasture

Agricultural land where native vegetation is used as rangeland or pasture for animals.

Selective logging

A partial-harvest method that removes only the most valuable species of trees, or only trees of prescribed size and quality.

Short-wood harvesting system

A harvesting method by which a tree is cut down, delimbed and cut into 1.3, 2.6, 3.2 or 4.8 metre (4, 8, 12 or 16 feet) lengths before being transported to the mill.

Silviculture

The theory and practise of controlling the establishment, composition, growth and quality of forest stands to achieve certain management objectives.

Slashburning

Burning the residue on the forest floor that is left after stand tending or harvesting, or that has accumulated from natural causes.

Snag

A standing dead tree from which the leaves and most of the branches have fallen.

Softwoods

Cone-bearing trees with needles or scale-like leaves. They belong to the botanical group Gymnospermae.

Sphagnum

A moss growing in bogs and peat.

Stand

A community of trees sufficiently uniform in species, age, arrangement or condition to be distinguishable as a group.

Stumpage policy

A policy governing the harvesting of trees on Crown land.

Subalpine forest

A forest occurring on the higher slopes of mountains just below the timber-line.

Temperate forest

One of the three main forest types in the world. Temperate forests are composed mainly of deciduous trees. The other two types are the tropical evergreen forest and the northern coniferous forest (boreal forest).

Timber licenses

A license to cut and remove Crown timber.

Topography

The art or practise of delineating natural and constructed features in such a way as to show their relative positions and elevations on the earth.

Transitional forest

A mixture of land covers, with forest covering up to 50 percent of the land area. Tree density varies from open woodland to scattered groves.

Tree harvesting

A harvesting process that includes the trunk, branches and, in some instances, the roots from a forest site. In Canada, this process is used to control root diseases.

Treeline

The northern limit of trees beyond which conditions do not permit their growth.

Tundra

The treeless area to the north of the boreal forest. Tundra vegetation includes low, matted and erect shrubs and herbs such as cottongrass.

Understorey

That portion of the trees in a forest stand below the level of the main canopy.

Watershed

An area of land that drains naturally into a stream or other waterway.

Wisconsin glaciation

A period of glaciation covering most of the northern half of North America from about 85,000 years ago until about 7,000 years ago. It was the most recent continental glaciation.

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