What’s forest ecology?

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Forest ecology is the science of how organisms react to each other and interact with the environment of a forest ecosystem. This particular field of study is very important to those concerned about forest conservation. Without good data on the forest, what makes it healthy or unhealthy, a sustainable plan cannot be put in place. An ecologist in this field may work for a university, a parks service, or even a private company.

Those involved in forest ecology hope to find conclusions on a number of issues. Studies may include the importance of both old-growth and new-growth forests, the threat level of invasive plant and animal species, and the impact of human activity on the local environment. In some cases, depending on the size of the forest, the ecologist may need to consider data spanning multiple zones or biomes. While these distinct areas may seem unrelated, they can all indicate the overall health of a forest.

Forest ecology takes a long time to record the different species present in the system. Often, these data points will be compared to data collected in previous years. This comparison should provide a good idea of ​​what the long-term trends are in the area. A reduction in species or an increase in the number of species may be a cause for particular concern.

While some might believe that species diversification is a good thing, anyone involved in forest ecology knows that it has to be the right kind of diversification. Invasive species of plants and animals may be able to decimate native populations, thus totally changing almost all species present in the forest ecosystem within decades. While some may consider this a natural course of nature, others blame humans for the introduction of some species. This can lead to a very unnatural result.

Once species have been cataloged and trends studied, the next step is to determine whether the changes are part of a natural maturation in forest ecology or are the result of unnatural processes. This is partly determined by observing the number of non-native species and understanding the changes that occur in forests over time. As canopies get denser, for example, the number of ferns and other ground cover vegetation will decrease due to lack of light. This is to be expected.

If the changes are deemed unsustainable or unnatural, the ecologist may be asked to come up with a plan to restore forest health. In some cases, there may be no solution as the processes and species involved may have become too ingrained to change. In other cases, techniques may exist that can restore a more natural forest ecology.

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