atmosphere: the layer of gases surrounding the earth or any other planet

biodegradable: capable of being decomposed by the action of living organisms

canopy: the upper most level of foliage formed by a group of trees

carbon dioxide: colourless, odourless gas occurring naturally in the atmosphere and formed by combustion and respiration

clearfelling: method of harvesting forests or plantations whereby all trees in a coupe, apart from those retained for seed or wildlife habitat, are removed

community: a collection of plants and animals living together in the same habitat or area

conservation: the management of a natural environment to ensure its survival

coupe: a small forest management area from which trees are removed. Coupes are regenerated after harvesting

deforestation: the permanent clearing of forest areas, preventing regrowth e.g. clearing land for agriculture

ecologically sustainable management: management that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

ecosystem: communities of organisms and their physical environment interacting as a unit

environment: all aspects of the surroundings of human beings, whether affecting human beings as individuals or in social groups

eucalyptus: a genus of trees made up of about 700 species (different types of trees) native to the Australian region and cultivated elsewhere

forester: a person trained in forest management usually with a university degree in forestry science

fossil fuel: the remains of organisms (or their products) embedded in the Earth, with high carbon and/or hydrogen contents which are used by man as fuels; especially coal, oil and natural gas

fuel load: the weight of readily combustible material e.g. leaves and dead branches, in a forest

greenhouse effect: refers to the predicted warming of the Earth’s surface through increased concentration in the atmosphere of several gases, particularly carbon dioxide, due primarily to the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum products (see fossil fuels)

habitat: a place where animals and plants live

hardwood: flowering trees such as eucalypts and acacia, which produce timber with hard, short fibres

harvesting: the process of removing timber from a coupe; also known as logging

harvesting plan: a detailed plan of a forest area to be logged, describing the forest area and planned operations, including details of flora and fauna species in the area and environmental consideration

logging: refers to the removal of timber from a forest coupe; also known as harvesting

multiple use forest management: the management of a forest area for a range of different uses, e.g. wood production, recreation, water catchment protection, preservation of animals, plants and landscape (see State Forests)

old growth forests: an area of old trees that has been subjected to negligible disturbance from activities such as logging, road building and clearing for agriculture

pinus radiata: a species of pine tree, native of California, and a major plantation species in Australia

plantation: a group of planted trees grown in the form of an agricultural crop

prescribed burning: burning grass and ground cover in a planned way to reduce the risk and impact of bush fires

preserve: to keep or maintain

wood pulp: wood that has been broken down into individual fibres to make paper products

pulpwood: wood considered unsuitable for sawmilling and used for the production of woodchips, pulp, paper and wood panels

rainforest: a dense evergreen forest which grows in areas of high humidity and/or rainfall and with a characteristic composition of species such as vines and ferns

renewable: to be used again for the same or different purpose

regeneration: new tree growth, natural or resulting from management practices such as sowing seeds on prepared seed beds

regrowth: forest that grows after logging

renewable: can be used again or replaced. Trees are a renewable resource because they can be easily regrown

resource: a material required or needed; can be either renewable (we can obtain more, like water, air or timber) or non-renewable (can be used only once, like coal or oil and gas from fossil sources) (see fossil fuel)

sawlogs: logs which are processed into sawn timber for housing, furniture, construction, veneer, poles and sleepers. The left-over pieces may be processed into woodchips (see sawmill residues)

sawmill residues: what is left after sawn timber has been cut from a log. They include edgings, shavings and sawdust

seed: the part of a tree from which new trees can be grown

seedling: a young tree

selective logging: where only selected trees within a coupe are logged; as opposed to clearfelling which removes most or all of the trees

silviculture: the science and art of the cultivation of forests; the growing and tending of trees

slash: the material left on the ground after harvesting operation, including tree heads and woody material

softwood: non-flowering trees such as pine trees which produce soft, long-fibred timber

soil erosion: the wearing away of soil by wind, water and sun

State Forests: publicly owned forests which are managed by State and Territory governments for multiple use purposes, including the production of timber (see multiple use)

sustained yield: the principle of managing a forest to achieve a balance between what is removed and its replacement by natural growth. Harvesting cycles usually take 80 to 100 years in working native forests. (see ecologically sustainable management)

thinning: the removal of trees from a forest to improve the growth rate and health of the remaining trees

wood: a renewable material used in building, ship construction, carpentry and joinery, furniture etc

woodchipping: production of small pieces of wood for pulpwood - the first stage of processing pulpwood into paper and fibreboard (see pulpwood)

woodland: areas of trees whose tops collectively shade less that 30 percent of the ground