Australia’s forests and forestry glossary

An organism that spends a significant proportion of its life attached to or within a single host organism, and that ultimately kills (and often consumes) the host. Used to limit numbers of insect pests in commercial plantations.

A panel product made by compressing wood particles (usually from softwood) and resin under heat and pressure, commonly used in flooring and joinery.

See Fibreboard, Reconstituted wood products.

Basic unit of a landscape vegetation mosaic.

The spatial arrangement or configuration of types of vegetation, including forest, across the landscape.

A log suitable for rotary peeling to produce veneer. Excludes veneer logs used to produce sliced veneer.

See Rotary peeling, Veneer log.

The set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism, resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment.

See Genotype.

A tissue in vascular plants that transports soluble organic compounds (e.g. sugars) from the leaves to other parts of the plant.

See Cambium, Vascular plant, Xylem.

A process in plants in which energy from sunlight and carbon dioxide from the air are used to produce plant matter, releasing oxygen.

1. Soil-based disease (root-rot) that infects plant roots causing damage and dieback.

2. An oomycete (water mould) that causes root-rot of plants, and consequent dieback. 

See Dieback.

A roundwood product that meets specified marine durability requirements and is used principally for wharves and to support the framework of buildings in a marine environment.

1. A true pine is any tree of the genus Pinus in the family Pinaceae.

2. Can also refer to a tree of other conifer families, such as Araucariaceae (hoop pine, Wollemi pine), Cupressaceae (cypress pine, King Billy pine) and Podocarpaceae (Huon pine, plum pine, celery-top pine).

See Conifer, Softwood.

Fire started in accordance with a fire management plan or planned burning program, such as fuel-reduction burning or prescribed burning.

See Backburning, Fuel-reduction burn, Prescribed burning, Prescribed fire, Unplanned fire.

See Vegetation community.

Intensively managed stand of trees of either native or exotic species, created by the regular placement of seedlings or seeds. Commercial plantations are managed for the purpose of commercial wood production.

See Agroforestry, Commercial plantation, Environmental planting, Other forest.

Forest comprising planted trees. For international reporting purposes, the National Forest Inventory categories ‘Commercial plantation’ and ‘Other forest’ (but excluding forests of naturalised exotic species) comprise Australia’s ‘planted forest’.

See Agroforestry, Commercial plantation, National Forest Inventory, Other forest.

A panel product made by gluing together veneers of wood under heat and pressure, commonly used in construction and joinery.

See Rotary peeling, Veneer.

A roundwood product generally treated with preservatives that is used to support transmission lines or as a structural member in pole-frame building construction.

A wood product from durable hardwood or treated softwood species that is used in an upright support role and meeting specifications for a range of functions.

The controlled application of fire under specified environmental conditions to a predetermined area and at a time, intensity and rate of spread required to attain planned resource management objectives.

See Planned fire, Prescribed fire.

Fire started in accordance with a fire management plan or planned burning program, such as fuel-reduction burning.

See Planned fire, Prescribed burning.

Naturally regenerated forest of native tree species, where there are no clearly visible indications of human activities and where ecological processes are not significantly disturbed.

Can describe native forest at any of the four growth stages recognised in Australia: Regeneration, Regrowth, Mature and Senescent.

See Growth stage.

Land held under freehold title and typically under private ownership. It excludes leased Crown land, but includes land held under freehold title with special conditions attached for designated Indigenous communities.

One of six land tenure classes used to classify land in the National Forest Inventory.

See Land tenure, National Forest Inventory.

Forest that is managed under private ownership or under private leasehold arrangements.

Public or private forest managed for the production of wood products, whether plantation or native forest.

See Commercial plantation, Multiple-use public forest, Native forest.

1. Capacity of an ecosystem to grow, produce or yield products.

2. Amount of growth or product yield per unit area per unit time.

3. Potential annual volume growth of trees per unit area at peak mean annual increment in fully stocked forest stands managed under good silvicultural practices.

See Mean annual increment (MAI), Silvicultural system, Stocking.

1. General definition in Article 2, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, www.cbd.int): a geographically defined area that is designated or regulated and managed to achieve specific conservation objectives.

2. Definition of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN, www.iucn.org): a clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.

Some protected areas are listed under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention), or inscribed under the World Heritage Convention.

See CAR reserve system, Formal reserve, Indigenous Protected Area, Informal reserve, Nature conservation reserve, Reserve.

See Management by prescription.

1. The place of origin of a plant or animal.

2. A set of individuals of a plant or animal species that originate from a particular location.

Forest on public land.

See Public land, Publicly managed forest.

Land belonging to the Crown, i.e. a government, but excluding land leased to private individuals or entities.

See Crown land, Leasehold title.

Forest on public land for which management responsibility has been delegated to government agencies. Includes multiple-use public forest, and forest on nature conservation reserves and other Crown land, but excludes forest on Crown land that has been leased to private individuals or entities.

See Crown land, Leasehold forest, Public land.

A product made from wood by chemical or mechanical separation of the fibres, and that is used to make paper.

A log harvested from a plantation or native forest stand that does not meet sawlog quality specifications and is designated to produce pulpwood.

See Pulpwood.

Wood used to manufacture pulp or paper products.

See Pulp.