Project coordination and lead author Mike Brienesse ( MNRF) As long as we never answer “why do you do it that way” with “cause that’s how we’ve always done it” we can be assured that ineffective practices will be identified and effective practices will get even better.
This does not mean we throw our hands up in frustration with the occasional failure, but that we embrace the uncertainty with which we are working, and commit to learning through practice. Our knowledge has progressed to a point where successes far outnumber failures, but cause and effect is not always obvious, nature is messy, and things do not always go as planned. The job of the silviculturalist is a mixture of routine application of time tested treatments and experimentation with novel techniques or sites, interspersed with the occasional head scratching when one or the other does not provide the expected outcome. This fact should not be cause for concern but evidence that a healthy adaptive learning environment is present. It is not unreasonable to think that some of what we consider leading edge today, will become tomorrow’s ‘mistake’. To be fair, some of what we may now regard as ‘mistakes’ were once considered appropriate given the best available knowledge and management paradigm of the day. Ineffective silviculture can do the opposite for equal or even longer periods with some of the most challenging sites to manage caused by less than desirable past practices. The influence of silviculture decisions on ecosystem health and productivity is considered at all stages from strategic planning to implementation.Įffective silviculture can positively influence the forest for decades to come and on many sites we are now realizing those benefits. Those objectives have shifted over time from timber to ecosystem management, to the extent that integrative thinking has become second nature for most practitioners. It is ultimately about achieving local forest management objectives in an efficient and predictable manner. Silviculture is a means to achieve an end. The first step to implementing this guide is deciding what kind of future forest you want. Similarly, a tool does not tell you what to do, but helps you achieve a pre-determined goal. Successful implementation of this guide is completely dependent on the judgement of a knowledgeable and experienced silviculturalist. Like all tools, the skill of the person wielding it can greatly influence the quality of the result. This guide should be thought of as a toolbox. Telephone inquiries should be directed to the Service Ontario Contact Centre: Cette publication spécialisée n’est disponible qu’en anglais en vertu du Règlement 411/10, qui en exempte l’application de la Loi sur les services en français.
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