Forester

For other uses, seeForester (disambiguation).

Foresters ofSouthern University of Chilein theValdivian forestsof San Pablo de Tregua,Chile.

Aforesteris a person who practisesforest managementandforestry,the science, art, and profession of managingforests.Foresters engage in a broad range of activities includingecological restorationand management ofprotected areas.Foresters manage forests to provide a variety of objectives including direct extraction ofraw material,outdoor recreation,conservation, hunting and aesthetics. Emergingmanagement practicesinclude managing forestlands forbiodiversity,carbon sequestrationand air quality.

Foresters work for thetimber industry,government agencies,conservation groups,local authorities,urbanparks boards, citizens' associations, and privatelandowners.The forestry profession includes a wide diversity of jobs, with educational requirements ranging from college bachelor's degrees to PhDs for highly specialized work.

Industrial foresters plan forest regeneration starting with careful harvesting. Urban foresters manage trees inurban green spaces.Foresters work intree nurseriesgrowingseedlingsfor woodland creation or regeneration projects. Foresters improve treegenetics.Forest engineers develop new building systems. Professional forestersmeasureandmodelthe growth of forests with tools likegeographic information systems.Foresters may combatinsectinfestation, disease, forest andgrasslandwildfire,but increasingly allow these natural aspects of forestecosystemsto run their course when the likelihood ofepidemicsor risk of life or property are low. Increasingly, foresters participate in wildlifeconservationplanning andwatershedprotection. Foresters have been mainly concerned with timber management, especiallyreforestation,forests at prime conditions, and fire control.

Many people confuse the role of the forester with that of thelogger,but most foresters are concerned not only with the harvest of timber, but also with thesustainable managementof forests. The forester Jack C. Westoby remarked that "forestry is concerned not with trees, but with how trees can serve people".

Career

United States

Forester Glenn Casamassa,U.S. Forest ServiceRegional Forester in the Pacific Northwest Region

The median salary of foresters in theUnited Stateswas $53,750, in 2008.Beginning foresters without bachelor's degrees make considerably less. Those with master's degrees are able to command salaries closer to the average. TheCouncil for Higher Education Accreditationconsiders theSociety of American Forestersas the principalaccreditorfor academic degree programs in professional forestry, both at aBachelor'sandMaster'slevel.

Usually a bachelor's degree is considered the minimum education required, but some individuals are able to secure a job without a college education based on their experience. Some states have a licensing requirement for foresters, and most of those require at least a four-year degree.

Foresters are often employed by private industry, federal and stateland managementagencies, or private consulting firms.

Medieval foresters

Foresterwas a title used widely duringMedievaltimes. The forester usually held a position equal to a sheriff or local law enforcer, and he could act as a barrister or arbiter. He was often based in aforester's lodge,and was responsible for patrolling the woodlands on a lord or noble's property, hence the synonymous term 'woodward'. His duties included negotiating sales of lumber and timber and stopping poachers from illegally hunting. Frequently outlaws would take refuge in heavily wooded regions. When this occurred it was the duty of the forester to organize armedpossesto capture or disperse the criminals and during war time foresters were used as scouts to spy on enemy troop movement. The pay and status of foresters was usually above average,reflecting the responsibility of their role in a medieval environment and economy.

Notable foresters

• Margaret Stoughton Abell(1908–2004) - First American research forester in US Forest Service.
• Dietrich Brandis(1824–1907)
• Ralph E. Brock(1881–1959), first Black forester in the United States
• John Ednie Brown(1848–1899)
• Aimo Cajander(1879–1943) - Professor of forestry and Director-General of Forest and Park Service in Finland.
• Carl von Carlowitz(1645–1714) - Father ofsustainable yieldforestry
• Geoffrey Chaucer(1343–1400)
• Hugh Francis Cleghorn(1820–1895)
• Jean-Baptiste Colbert(1619–1683)
• John Evelyn(1620–1706)
• Bernhard Fernow(1851–1923)
• Douglas Hamilton(1820–1895)
• Georg Ludwig Hartig(1764–1837)
• Ralph Hosmer(1874–1963)
• Jens Hvass
• Norman Jolly(1882–1954)
• Charles Lane Poole(1885–1970)
• Aldo Leopold(1887–1948)
• Michel de Montaigne(1533–1592) [ "Man of essays and wood" ]
• John Muir(1838–1914) [ "Father of National Parks" ]
• Herman von Nördlinger(1818–1897)
• Gifford Pinchot(1865–1946)
• Christian Ditlev Frederik Reventlow(1748–1827)
• Roy Robinson, 1st Baron Robinson(1883–1952)
• Viktor Schauberger(1885–1958)
• Carl A. Schenck(1868–1955)
• Sir William P.D. Schlich(1840–1925)
• F.X. Schumacher(1892–1967)
• Richard St. Barbe Baker(1889–1982) Global Forester/Environmentalist
• Israel af Ström(1778–1856)
• Michael Taylor(b. 1966) - American Forester who discoveredHyperion (tree)and many tall redwood trees.
• T. B. Walker(1840–1928)
• Jack C. Westoby (1913–1988)
• Peter Wohlleben- German forester.
• Raphael Zon(1874–1956)
• Frank H. Wadsworth(1915–2022)

See also

• Arborist
• List of forest research institutes
• List of forestry universities and colleges
• Reeve (England)
• Society of American Foresters
• Institute of Chartered Foresters
• Verderer

External links

• SAF Accredited Professional Forestry Degree Programs
• SAF Recognized Forest Technology Degree Programs
• Center for International Forestry Research
• International Union of Forest Research Organizations
• FAO Forestry DepartmentArchived2006-02-19 at theWayback Machine
• The National Forest (England)
• Forestry Commission (Great Britain)