ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION A silvicultural system is a planned series of treatments for tending, harvesting, and re-establishing a stand. The main systems, their variations, and applications are described in this chapter. Forests in different parts of the world have been managed in a huge variety of ways to achieve different mixes of products and benefits, using locally appropriate methods. While no single system is ideal for all situations, there are no fundamental differences in the principles of silviculture when applied to tropical or temperate forests, plantations, or pristine natural forest. Silvicultural systems are often flexible and imprecisely defined but, in general terms, there is a continuum of possibilities from the creation of exotic plantation forests through to low-impact manipulation of natural forests. The flexibility of silviculture is necessary to take account of changes in the demand for products and services that will occur during the time it takes for a stand to grow. Flexibility may also be required to accommodate changes in the environment, legislative framework, political priorities, and technology.
