A

Aboriginal Land: Lands within Aboriginal reserves or Aboriginal settlements.

Aboriginal rights: Rights that some Aboriginal peoples of Canada hold as a result of their ancestors' long-standing use and occupancy of the land. The rights of certain Aboriginal peoples to hunt, trap and fish on ancestral lands are examples of Aboriginal rights. Aboriginal rights will vary from group to group depending on the customs, practices and traditions that have formed part of their distinctive cultures.

Aboriginal title: A legal term that recognizes the interest of Aboriginals in the land. It is based on their long-standing use and occupancy of the land as descendants of the original inhabitants of Canada.

Adaptive Management Area (AMA): Stands or forest types that require similar management practices and are grouped as one unit for the purposes of silviculture management.

Afforestation: The establishment of a tree crop on an area from which it has always or very long been absent. Where such establishment fails and is repeated, the latter may properly be termed "reafforestation." See also Reforestation.

Age class: A distinct group of trees or portion of growing stock recognized on the basis of age.

Agroforestry: A collective name for land-use systems and practices in which trees and shrubs are deliberately integrated with non-woody crops and/or animals on the same land area for ecological and economic purposes.

Allowable Annual Cut or Annual Allowable Cut (AAC): The amount of timber that is permitted to be cut annually from a particular area. AAC is used as the basis for regulating harvest levels to ensure a sustainable supply of timber. (Note: Both terms have been used)

Anthropogenic emission: Emission caused by human activities (e.g., burning fossil fuels or setting fires to clear forest land for agricultural purposes).

Anthropogenic removal: Removal resulting from human activities (e.g., planting trees).

Arboreal: Relating to the cultivation of trees.

Arboretum: A botanical tree garden where trees are maintained for display purposes.

Area regenerating: Includes areas that have been harvested recently (less than 10 years ago), and areas depleted by such natural disturbances as fire, insects and disease.

B

Bacillus thuringiensis var. kustaki: (BtK) A biological insecticide developed in Canada. This natural bacterium, which occurs in soils, is sprayed on forests to combat damaging insects.

Biodiversity (biological diversity): Refers to the variety of life on 3 different levels: the variety of ecosystems (ecosystem diversity), the variety of species (species diversity) and the variety within species (genetic diversity).

Bioassay: A technique for determining the effectiveness of a substance by measuring its effects on animals, tissues or organisms and comparing them to the effects of a standard preparation.

Biomass: The dry weight of all organic material, living or dead, above or below the soil surface.

Biosphere: That part of the earth and atmosphere capable of supporting living organisms.

Biotechnology: Development of products by a biological process. Production may be carried out by using intact organisms (e.g., yeasts and bacteria) or by using natural substances (e.g., enzymes) from organisms

Boreal forest: One of 3 main forest zones in the world (see also tropical forest, temperate forest); it is located in northern regions and is characterized by the predominance of conifers.

Buffer: A strip of land where disturbances are not allowed, or are closely monitored, to preserve aesthetic and other qualities adjacent to roads, trails, waterways, and recreation sites.

C

Canopy: The more or less continuous cover of branches and foliage formed collectively by the crowns of adjacent trees. See also Forest canopy.

Carbon dioxide (CO₂): A colorless, odorless, non-combustible gas. Humans and all other living organisms give off carbon dioxide in respiration and decomposition. Trees and other plants absorb it and use it during photosynthesis. Also emitted as a by-product of burning fossil fuels.

Carbon sequestration: The uptake and storage of carbon. Trees and plants, for example, absorb carbon dioxide, release the oxygen and store the carbon. Fossil fuels were at one time biomass and continue to store the carbon until burned.

Certification (forest): Forest certification is a market-based instrument aimed at promoting sustainable forest management that takes into account environmental, economic and social issues. It involves the independent assessment of forest management according to internationally (or nationally) accepted standards, and the tracking and monitoring of the supply of forest products to the marketplace. If the forest management is in compliance with a set of specified standards, and the timber from this forest has been tracked and accounted for through all stages of the production process, then it can be given a label which is recognized in the market place.

Chain of custody: The process of monitoring the production and distribution of goods from the forest to the end-product, i.e., tracing the origin of the product.

Clearcutting: A forest management method that involves the complete felling and removal of a stand of trees. Clearcutting may be done in blocks, strips, or patches.

Climate change: An alteration in measured quantities (e.g., precipitation, temperature, radiation, wind and cloudiness) within the climate system that departs significantly from previous average conditions and is seen to endure, bringing about corresponding changes in ecosystems and socioeconomic activity.

Cloning: In biotechnology, obtaining a group of genetically identical cells from a single cell; making identical copies of a gene.

Commercial forest: Forest land that is able to grow commercial timber within an acceptable time frame and is designated for such a purpose.

Coniferous: Refers to a forest stand or category of trees or bush that is popularly called 'evergreen.' The wood of conifers is commercially known as 'softwood.'

Convention: A legally binding agreement, often among many parties.

Crop tree: Any tree selected to become a component of a future commercial harvest.

Crown land: Public land that is managed by the national or provincial/territorial government.

D

Deforestation: > Clearing an area of forest for another long-term use.

Dendrology: The study of trees; tree identification.

Desertification: The transformation of once-productive arid and semi-arid areas into deserts through prolonged drought or continued mismanagement of land and water resources.

E

Ecodistrict: > A part of an ecoregion characterized by distinctive geologic, soil, water, fauna and land use.

Ecolabeling: A two-step process used to determine when a product can display a special seal or mark signifying that it is less harmful to the environment than most other similar products. The two-steps are: establishment of criteria, and certification that a product meets the criteria.

Ecological land classification: A process of delineating and classifying ecologically distinctive areas based on geologic, landform, soil, vegetative, climatic, wildlife, water and human factors. This holistic approach to land classification can be applied incrementally, from site-specific ecosystems to very broad ecosystems. This system provides for seven levels of generalization; ecozones, ecoprovinces, ecoregions, ecodistricts, ecosections, ecosites and ecoelements.

Ecoregion: A part of an ecozone characterized by distinctive regional ecological factors, including climate, physical geography, vegetation, soil, water, fauna and land use.

Ecosystem: A dynamic system of plants, animals, and other organisms, together with the non-living components of the environment, functioning as an interdependent unit.

Ecosystem integrity: The quality of a natural unmanaged or managed ecosystem in which the natural ecological processes sustain the function, composition and structure of the system.

Ecotourism: A type of tourism that focuses on nature-related experiences (e.g., whale watching).

Ecozone: An area of the Earth's surface that is representative of a broad-scale ecological unit characterized by particular abiotic (non-living) and biotic (living) factors.

Edge habitat: A loosely defined type of habitat that occurs at the boundary between two different habitat types. Typically, edge habitats share characteristics with both adjacent habitat types and have particular transitional characteristics that are important to wildlife.

Emissions: Waste substances released into the air or water.

Endangered species: Species that are threatened with imminent extinction; includes species whose numbers or habitats have been reduced to critical levels.

Engineered wood products: A composite wood product made from glued fibre, lumber and/or veneer to meet specific design criteria.

Environmental assessment: A process designed to contribute pertinent environmental information to the decision-making process of forest management and other resource projects and programs.

Even-aged forest: A forest stand or type in which relatively small age differences (10–20 years) exist between individual trees.

Extirpated species/extirpation: Refers to the local extinction of a species that is no longer found in a locality or country, but exists elsewhere in the world.

F

Falldown: A situation in which second-growth forests provide less timber than the original forests.

Fauna: A general term for all forms of animal life characteristic of a region, period or special environment.

Featured-species management: A type of wildlife management that does not attempt to manage for all species, but selects a few species of particular concern or interest (e.g., big game species or endangered species) and aims management programs at them. With respect to habitat, it is generally assumed that providing habitat for these species provides habitat for other species as well.

Feller-Buncher: A self-propelled machine used to fell trees by shearing them off near the ground using a hydraulic apparatus. Some models also strip limbs and bunch the logs for later pickup.

Flora: A general term for all forms of plant life characteristic of a region, period or special environment.

Forest: A complex community of plants and animals in which trees are the most conspicuous members. A mixed forest includes both coniferous and deciduous trees.

Forest canopy: The more or less continuous cover of branches and foliage formed collectively by the crowns of adjacent trees. See also Canopy.

Forest land: Land primarily intended for growing, or currently supporting, forest. It includes land not now forested (e.g., clearcut lands and northern lands that are forested but not intended for any commercial forestry use) and plantations.

Forest plantation / Plantation forestry / Plantation forestForest stands established by planting and/or seeding in the process of afforestation or reforestation which are either of introduced species (all planted stands) or intensively managed stands of indigenous species, which meet all the following criteria: one or two species at plantation, even age class, regular spacing.

Forestry practices: Any activity that is carried out on forest land to facilitate the use of forest resources, including, but not limited to, timber harvesting, road construction, silviculture, grazing, recreation, pest control and wildfire suppression.

Forest regions classification: A process of delineating large geographic areas according to landform and climate, associated with broad variations in overall forest composition.

Forest type: A group of forest areas or stands whose similar composition (species, age, height, and density) differentiates it from other such groups.

Fossil fuels: Oil, gas, coal and other fuels that were formed under the Earth's surface from the fossilized remains of plants and tiny animals that lived millions of years ago.

Forwarder: A self-propelled machine, usually self-loading, that transports trees or logs by carrying them completely off the ground.

Fuelwood: Trees used for the production of firewood logs or other wood fuel.

G

Genetic Engineering: A process of inserting new genetic information into existing cells in order to modify a specific organism for the purpose of changing one of its characteristics.

Geographic Information System (GIS): An organized collection of computer hardware, software and geographic data designed for capturing, storing, updating, manipulating, analyzing and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information.

Global warming: The rise in temperature of the Earth's atmosphere due to the greenhouse effect (the retention of the sun's energy by the atmosphere due to the build-up of CO₂ and other gases that are the bi-product of industrial activities).

Global Positioning System (GPS): A system of satellites and receiving devices used to compute positions on the Earth.

Grapple: A clamp mounted on the end of the skidding boom, consisting of a downward-turned clamp that is opened to pick up the stems or logs and then closed to lift and deposit them further away.

Greenhouse effect: The warming of the Earth's atmosphere caused by increasing levels of carbon dioxide and other gases in the air, which trap the sun's heat within the atmosphere.

Greenhouse gases: Those gases, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, tropospheric ozone, nitrous oxide, and methane, that are transparent to solar radiation but opaque to longwave radiation. Their action is similar to that of glass in a greenhouse. See also greenhouse effect.

Greenhouse gas sinks: Any process, activity or mechanism that removes greenhouse gases or their precursors from the atmosphere. The principal natural mechanism is photosynthesis.

Greenhouse gas source: Any process or activity (e.g., forest fires or conversion of forest land to agricul-tural or urban uses) that releases green-house gases or precursors of those gases into the atmosphere. As trees and forest products decompose or burn, they release carbon in the form of carbon dioxide.

Group-selection method: A method of regenerating uneven-aged stands in which trees are removed in small groups.

Green tree cut: Harvesting that retains live trees of a specific species and size on the area to be cut to achieve a site-specific objective.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP): A measure of national income-the amount paid to Canadians in terms of salaries, wages, profits and taxes.

Guild management: A method of management by which species are assembled into groups based on similarities in their habitat requirements. One species is selected to indicate the group; conserving the habitat of that particular species ensures the conservation of other members of the guild.

H

Habitat: The environment in which a population or individual lives; includes not only the place where a species is found, but also the particular characteristics of the place (e.g., climate or the availability of suitable food and shelter) that make it especially well suited to meet the life cycle needs of that species.

Hardwood(s), Broad, Leaved trees: (That lose their leaves in autumn) Also refers to the wood produced by these trees. Hardwoods belong to the botanical division Angiospermae (now Magnoliophyta) and are the dominant type of tree in the deciduous forest.

Heritage forests: Proposed name for the highly protected sites within Canada’s forest land. These sites, designated by federal and provincial agencies, are classified according to the World Conservation Union categories and are protected by legislation from commercial harvesting.

Home-range size: An individual species' requirement for space. Both the size of an organism and its lifestyle determine its space requirements.

I

Innovation: The use of a new idea, material or technology to produce new goods or services or to change the way in which goods or services are produced or distributed. Innovation can include improved managerial systems, new production techniques, new technology, the results of research and development, or the application of information technologies.

Integrated resource management: A holistic approach to resource management that entails the management of 2 or more resources (e.g., water, soil, timber, pasture, wildlife, and recreation) and that integrates the values of the community into the design of policies or projects to use and sustain these resources in perpetuity.

Inventory (forest): A survey of a forest area to determine such data as area, condition, timber, volume and species for a specific purpose, such as planning, purchasing, evaluating, managing or harvesting.

J - K

L

Landscape: Areas of land that are distinguished by differences in landforms, vegetation, land use, and aesthetic characteristics.

Lichen: An algae and a fungus growing in symbiotic association on solid surfaces such as rocks or tree bark.

Light framing lumber: Lumber that is 5 to 10 cm thick and 5 to 10 cm wide. It is used in a large variety of general construction applications.

M

Management plan: A detailed long-term plan for a forested area. It contains inventory and other resource data.

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

Mixedwoods: Trees belonging to either of the botanical groups Gymnospermae or Angiospermae that are substantially intermingled in stands.

Model forest: A forest or designated area including forests and woodland for which an integrated management plan is created and implemented to achieve multiple objectives on a sustainable basis.

Multiple forest use: > A system of resource use where the forest resources in a given land unit serve more than one user.

N

Niche environment: The unique environment used to sustain the existence of an organism or species.

Non-commercial tree species: > A tree species for which there is currently no market.

Non-tariff barrier: An economic, political, administrative or legal impediment to trade other than a duty, tax or import quota.

Non-timber forest products: Any commodity obtained from the forest that does not necessitate harvesting trees.

Non-timber resource value: A value within the forest other than timber that includes, but is not limited to, biological diversity, fisheries, wildlife, minerals, water quality and quantity, recreation and tourism, cultural and heritage values, and wilderness and aesthetic values.

O

Old-growth forest: A forest dominated by mature or overmature trees that has not been significantly influenced by human activity. The stand may contain treesof different ages and various species of vegetation.

Open forests: Proposed name for the natural forests commonly found in northern Canada. These forests are a mixture of wetlands and small trees, occasionally interspersed with highly productive forests.

Oriented strand board (OSB): Panels made from narrow strands of fibre oriented lengthwise and crosswise in layers, with a resin binder. Depending on the resin used, OSB can be suitable for interior or exterior applications.

Overmature: Tree or stand that has passed the age of maturity where the rate of growth has diminished and the trees are weakened.

Overstorey: The upper canopy of a forest, typically formed by the branches and leaves of trees.

Ozone layer: > A form of oxygen (O₃) formed naturally in the upper atmosphere by a photochemical reaction with solar ultraviolet radiation and a major agent in the formation of smog.

P

Patch cutting: The removal of all of the trees in a stand. The same as clearcutting, except that the area involved is smaller.

Partial cutting: Tree removal other than clearcutting, i.e., taking only part of a stand.

Pathogen: A microscopic organism or virus directly capable of causing disease.

Pathology (forest): The study of disease.

Pest: An organism capable of causing material damage. Forest pests include insects, tree diseases, and noxious fungi.

Phenolic (phenolic compound): A highly complex organic compound that exists in every plant in various mixes, ratios and concentrations. Phenols include, for example, many plant pigments.

Pheromone: A chemical substance released by animals, including insects, that influences the behaviour or development of other individuals of the same species, e.g., sexual attractants.

Photosynthesis: Formation of carbohydrates in the chlorophyll-containing tissues of plants exposed to light.

Plantation: A stand of trees that has been grown through direct seeding or by planting seedlings.

Population: A group of organisms of the same species inhabiting a particular geographical area at a particular time.

Pre-commercial thinning: Cutting in an immature crop or stand to improve crop spacing and to accelerate the diameter increment of favoured trees, and/or improve the average form of the trees that remain. Does not yield trees of commercial value.

Protected area: An area protected by legislation, regulation, or land-use policy to control the level of human occupancy or activities. Categories of protected areas include protected landscapes, national parks, multiple-use management areas, and nature (wildlife) reserves.

Protection forests: Proposed name for forests protected from harvesting by policy. These forests usually protect sensitive sites, such as watersheds and steep slopes.

Protocol: A legally binding sub-agreement of a framework convention or treaty

Provenance: The geographical area or place of origin of a collection of genetic material (generally in the form of seed, pollen or cuttings) for which the process of natural selection has resulted in some common or shared population characteristics.

Pulp: Wood chips that have been ground mechanically into fibers and are used for the production of inexpensive paper, such as newsprint, or that have been chemically treated to remove the lignin and are used to manufacture higher quality papers.

Q

R

Reforestation: The reestablishment of trees on denuded forest land by natural or artificial means, such as planting and seeding. See also Afforestation.

Regeneration: The continuous renewal of a forest stand. Natural regeneration occurs gradually with seeds from adjacent stands or with seeds brought in by wind, birds, or animals. Artificial regeneration involves direct seeding or planting.

Research and development (R&D): Set of activities directed toward improving and innovating products and processes from a technological point of view and not from a commercial point of view. Encompasses basic research, applied research and development.

Retention harvesting: A silvicultural system designed to retain individual trees or groups of trees to maintain structural diversity over the area of the cutblock.

Riparian forest: At a large scale, it is the band of forest that has a significant influence on a stream ecosystem or is significantly affected by the stream. At a smaller scale, it is the forest at the immediate water's edge, where some specialized plants and animals form a distinct community.

Riparian zone / Buffer zone / Buffer strip: A strip of land maintained along a stream, lake, road, recreation site or different vegetative zone to mitigate the impacts of actions on adjacent lands, to enhance aesthetic values, or as a best management practice.

Rotation: The planned number of years between the formation or regeneration of a crop or stand and its final cutting at a specified stage or maturity.

Roundwood: Round sections of tree stems with or without bark, such as logs and bolts.

Rutting: The resulting depressions in the soil due to the repeated passage of a logging machine’s wheels at the same place.

S

Science (forest): The study of the material universe or physical reality in order to understand it. This is done by making observations and collecting data about natural events and conditions, then organizing and explaining them with hypotheses, theories, models, laws and principles.

Science and technology/S&T (forest): Systematic activities that are closely concerned with the generation, advancement, dissemination and application of scientific and technical knowledge in all fields of science and technology, including such activities as research and development (R&D), scientific and technical education and training, and scientific and technological services.

Second growth forest: A forest that has developed (naturally or artificially) following the removal of the original virgin forest.

Seed banks: Storage facilities where seedlots (or bags of seed) are stored.

Seed orchards: A plantation of trees (pre-selected on the basis of their superior genetic traits) that has been isolated from genetically inferior outside sources, and intensively managed to improve the genotype and produce abundant seed crops.

Seed tree cutting: Leaving a scattered number of trees on a site to provide a portion of the seeds needed for regeneration. See also Seed-tree method. Index

Seed-tree method: A method of regenerating a forest stand that involves removing all of the trees from an area in a single cut, except for a small number of seed-bearing trees. The objective is to create an even-aged stand. See also Seed tree cutting.

Seeding felling: A method of regeneration involving the removal of trees in a mature stand (to open the canopy) with the exception of a small number of see trees. The objective is to produce an even-aged stand.

Selection cutting: Annual or periodic cutting of trees in a stand in which the trees vary markedly in age. The objective is to recover the yield and maintain an uneven-aged stand structure, while creating the conditions necessary for tree growth and seedling establishment. Differs from selective cutting, in which the most valuable trees are harvested without regard for the condition of the residual stand.

Shelterwood cutting: A method of harvesting that involves 2 cuts: the first cut leaves trees at intervals to provide the canopy and species required for natural regeneration; the second cut harvests the resulting new crop of trees (which are fairly even-aged).

Shelterwood systems: A method of harvesting that involves two cuts: the first cut leaves trees at intervals to provide the canopy and species required for natural regeneration; the second cut harvests the resulting new crop of trees (which are fairly even-aged).

Shortwood harvesting: A harvesting method by which a tree is cut down, delimbed and cut into 1.3-, 2.6-, 3.2-, or 4.8-metre lengths before being transported to a mill.

Silviculture: The theory and practice of controlling the establishment, composition, growth, and quality of forest stands. Can include basic silviculture (e.g., planting and seeding) and intensive silviculture (e.g., site rehabilitation, spacing, and fertilization).

Single tree selection: The selection of individual trees for harvesting.

Site index: An expression of forest site quality based on the height, at a specified age, of dominant and codominant trees in a stand.

Skidder: ">A self-propelled logging machine with an articulated frame, used for hauling operations.

Softwood(s): Cone-bearing trees with needles or scale-like leaves; also refers to the wood produced by these trees. Softwoods belong to the botanical division Gymnospermae (now Pinophyta) and are the predominant tree type in coniferous forests.

Snag: A dead, but standing tree from which the leaves and most of the branches have fallen.

SPF (spruce-pine-fir): Canadian woods of similar characteristics that are grouped as one lumber type for production and marketing purposes. SPF species range in color from white to pale yellow.

Spruce budworm: An insect that damages spruce and fir trees. Eggs of the spruce budworm are laid on branches by an adult moth. Young budworms feed primarily on the new growth of the tree branch, but also eat older needles. Defoliation results, killing the tree.

Stand: A community of trees possessing sufficient uniformity in composition, age, arrangement, or condition to be distin-guishable from the forest or other growth on adjoining areas, thus forming a silvicultural or management entity.

Stewardship (forest): Environmentally and socially responsible use, management and development of forest resources to maintain and enhance the value of the forest for present and future generations.

Stocked forest: Land supporting tree growth. In this context, tree growth includes seedlings and saplings.

Stumpage fee: The fee paid by an individual or company for the timber they harvest from public forests or privately owned forest land.

Succession: Changes in the species composition of an ecosystem over time, often in a predictable order. In forests, it refers to the sequence of one community of plants gradually replacing another.

Sustainable (forest) development: The development of forests to meet current needs without prejudice to their future productivity, ecological diversity or capacity for regeneration.

Sustainable forest management: Management that maintains and enhances the long-term health of forest ecosystems for the benefit of all living things while providing environmental, economic, social and cultural opportunities for present and future generations.

Sustained-yield forestry: The yield of defined forest products of specific quality and in projected quantity that a forest can provide continuously at a given intensity of management.

T

Tariff: An import tax or a list of articles and the import tax that must be paid on items on that list. A protective tariff is meant to protect local businesses from foreign competition; a retaliatory tariff is in response to a foreign country's tax on goods from

Temperate forest: One of 3 main forest zones in the world (see also boreal forest; tropical forest) The woodland of rather mild climatic areas; composed mainly of deciduous trees.

Thinning: A partial cutting or spacing operation made in an immature forest stand to accelerate the growth of the remaining trees.

Transgenic (plant): Genetically engineered plant or offspring of genetically engineered plants.

Tree farm: A privately owned woodland in which the production of wood fibre is a primary management goal, as distinct from a tree nursery, fruit orchard, or landscape business.

Threatened species: A species that is likely to become endangered if certain pressures are not reversed.

Treaty: > A legally binding agreement, often between two parties.

Tropical forest: one of 3 main forest zones in the world (see also boreal forest; temparate forest) A tropical woodland with an annual rainfall of a least 250 cm; marked by broadleaved evergreen trees forming a continuous canopy.

U

Understorey: The lower level of vegetation in a forest. Usually formed by ground vegetation (mosses, herbs and lichens), herbs and shrubs, but may also include subdominant trees.

V

Value-added product / Value-added production: Adding value to a product by further processing it. Examples of value-added wood products include joinery stock, windows, doors, kitchen cabinets, flooring and mouldings. Value-added pulp and paper products include such items as packaging, diapers, coated papers, tissue, business papers and stationery, and other consumer paper products.

Vertical diversity: A term used to describe forest structure, proceeding vertically through a forest canopy.

Vertical structure: The structure formed by different layers of vegetation in a forest.

Vulnerable species: A species that is considered at risk because it exists in low numbers or in restricted ranges, due to loss of habitat or other factors.

W

Watershed: An area of land that is drained by underground or surface streams into another stream or waterway.

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