Australia’s forests and forestry glossary

As a national native forest type used by the National Forest Inventory, forest dominated by broad-leaved tree species, typically in wet or sheltered environments and with a closed canopy. Can include areas with non-rainforest species as emergents (trees emerging above the canopy), but where rainforest species dominate the character of the site.

See Canopy, Native forest type. 

Cutting timber along the grain to reduce larger boards into smaller sections.

Products manufactured from reconstituted wood fibres or flakes, originating from sources such as woodchips, sawdust, wood shavings or sawmill off-cuts. Includes fibreboard (particleboard, medium-density fibreboard, high-density fibreboard and hardboard) and laminated products (but not laminated veneer).

See Fibreboard, Particleboard.

The collection, separation and processing of previously used and recovered wood fibre and wood and paper products for manufacture into raw materials or new products.

Establishment of forest on land that historically contained forest but was converted to some other use, such as agriculture. The Kyoto Protocol and various carbon emission reduction initiatives use specific definitions of reforestation.

See Afforestation, Deforestation, Forest.

1. A native forest growth stage that includes juvenile and sapling stages, where trees are very small and crowns exhibit apical dominance.

2. A native forest growth stage generally taken as less than 20 years since disturbance. One of four growth stages used at the national level to describe the age of trees and stands of trees.

3. New trees arising naturally or with human assistance after harvesting, fire or other causes have removed all or some of the overstorey.

4. The process of managing a forest after disturbance to produce a regenerating forest stand.

See Apical dominance, Disturbance, Growth stage, Mature, Regrowth, Sapling, Senescent.

An agreement between the Australian Government and one of four state governments about the long-term management and use of forests in a region, and that meets the requirements listed in the Commonwealth Regional Forest Agreements Act 2002.

1. A native forest growth stage in which trees generally have well-developed stems with crowns of small branches, and are actively growing in height and diameter but are below mature stand height. Apical dominance is apparent in vigorous trees.

2. A native forest growth stage generally taken as 20–80 years since disturbance. One of four growth stages used at the national level to describe the age of trees and stands of trees.

See Apical dominance, Disturbance, Growth stage, Mature, Regeneration, Senescent.

Practice of acquiring and using data from satellites or aircraft to infer or measure land cover, land use and vegetation attributes. Ground surveys may be used to check the accuracy of interpretation.

Areas of land managed to protect a range of values.

See CAR reserve system, Conservation reserve, Formal reserve, Informal reserve, Nature conservation reserve, Protected area, Protected by prescription.

Of an ecological system, the capacity to absorb and respond to shocks while retaining essentially the same function, structure and feedbacks, and therefore identity.

Measurement of the output quality or detail of an image, usually given as pixel size (the size of the square areas recorded) or ground sample distance (the distance between adjacent pixel centres measured on the ground). Higher resolution means more image detail and smaller pixels; for example, an image with 1 m x 1 m pixels is of higher resolution than an image with 1,000 m x 1,000 m pixels.

Managing a forest so that its ecological function and structure recover towards the condition that existed prior to degradation.

See Degradation.

See Regional Forest Agreement (RFA).

The interface between land and a flowing water body such as a stream or river. Vegetation along watercourses is called riparian vegetation.

See Filter strip.

The control or modification of the natural flow of a river or stream, most commonly by the use of dams.

A method of cutting a thin sheet of wood (veneer) from a log, by spinning the log against a sharp blade of the same length. Rotary-peeled sheets (veneers) are used in the production of plywood and elsewhere.

See Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), Peeler log, Veneer.

The planned number of years between regeneration or establishment of a stand of trees, and final harvesting. Rotation length is used in forest management planning to determine sustainable yield.

See Harvesting, Regeneration, Sustainable yield.

Wood in round form, namely logs from the bole and larger branches. Includes sawlogs, pulplogs, poles, piles and posts.

The fees paid to a forest owner for the right to fell and remove timber, originally payable to the Crown but now to any forest owner.

See Stumpage.

Rain that flows across the surface of the ground rather than infiltrating the soil. A major cause of soil erosion by water.

See Filter strip.

A depression or groove worn into a snig track, path or road by machinery or erosion by water. Typically, rutting is reported in terms of rut depth.

See Snig track.