ABSTRACT
Silviculture is a long-established field and central to forestry as a discipline. As a human-induced, land-used activity with broad ramifications, silviculture qualifies for inclusion under the headings of environmental and conservation science. In silviculture, sometimes lesser, sometimes higher goals intercede and must be incorporated into land-use decisions. In some regions, silviculture can be distant, without much direct influence, but important in daily life. Silviculture can also be integrated, through farm forestry or agroforestry, into agriculture where trees are essential, economically and/or ecologically, toward a favorable farm outcome. Saleable and serviceable wood is the economic engine that propels silviculture. Under a less technical, more conventional perception, silviculture is the raising of trees where wood is the primary or the sole output and only highly secondary co-economic activities are tolerated. Redefining silviculture as an agroecological science helps by placing this within the larger body of ecological thought and brings to the fore many less explored options.
