Structure of the Chapter:
About one-third of the world's land surface is classified as woodland, and approximately 1 percent of the standing timber is harvested each year. Almost half of the felled timber is used for fuel, the remainder being made into wood products or pulp for paper and packaging materials. After studying this chapter, students should be able to describe farm woodland management and master terminology connected with this unit.
Occur - happen, take place
Landscape - inland scenery
Wildlife - animals and plants that grow independently of people, usually in natural conditions
Game - animals and birds that are hunted for food or sport
Timber - trees that are grown so that the wood from them can be used for building
Neglect - to give not enough care or attention to people or things that are your responsibility
Incentive - something which encourages a person to do something
Deter - to prevent or discourage (someone) from doing something by making it difficult for them to do it
Enduring - continuing to exist for a long time
Gestation - the period of the development of a plant, or child or young animal
Offset - to balance against an opposing influence, so that there is no great difference as a result
Seedling - young plant newly grown from a seed
Heifer - new, young growth on a plant or bush
Hurdle - movable upright oblong frame of wood, used for making temporary fences
Spars - strong wooden pole
Do you like going for a walk to the woods?
What kinds of coniferous and broadleaved trees do you know?
What is the significance of the woods?
listening
Farm woodland management
Woodland covers 2,400,000 ha or about 10% of the total land area of Britain, of which farm woodlands make up about 350,000 ha. Less productive than many larger commercial forests, farm woodlands typically
occur in small fragmented parcels and comprise a significant proportion of mixed broadleaved woods, especially in the lowlands of Britain, where they form important features in the
landscape and may have considerable value for
wildlife and
game. Unfortunately,
timber quality and productivity may be significantly reduced by a combination of factors, including difficult access, poor condition of the growing stock, small size and
neglected or inappropriate management. Fortunately, both site conditions ad the quality of the trees can be improved by the application of appropriate silvicultural techniques to create a quality timber resource with multiple benefits for the landscape, amenity, wildlife and game. New farm woodland planting is also expanding, as surplus agricultural land becomes available and grant
incentives encourage farmers to diversify into woodland enterprises.
Despite this clear potential, a number of perceived obstacles
deter landowners from either managing existing woodlands or planting new ones, including a lack of knowledge of silviculture and how to market small volumes of timber. The most
enduring financial obstacle is the long
gestation period involved in forest investments, requiring a wait of at least 20 years for most crops before thinnings even begin to
offset the early establishment costs. This income gap can be partially offset by some of the following options:
- Revenue from harvesting an existing crop can be used to offset the cost of establishment.
- Grants are available to compensate landowners for planting trees and other forms of woodland management.
- Development of shorter rotation crops (e.g. coppice).
- Integration of forestry with other revenue-generating activities in the early life of the crop, such as game management, recreation or growing Christmas trees.
- Agroforestry systems offer some potential to use the spaces between the trees in the early years for low-intensity grazing or other agricultural use.
Coppice woodland
Traditional coppicing arose by the regular cutting of natural mixed woodland. Stools that died were replaced by cuttings,
seedlings or by a process of layering involving bending over a remaining coppice
shoot from an existing, healthy stool, pegging it to the ground and covering with earth. Coppice is one of the oldest forms of forest management, supplying fuelwood and roundwood for traditional rural crafts producing
hurdles, thatching
spars and tool handles.
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I. Decide whether the following statements are true or false:
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IV Fill in the correct prepositions:
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V. Match the words with proper opposites:
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VI. Quiz
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This chapter deals with farm woodland management and comprises several activities for widening vocabulary and practising specialist terminology of this topic.
The Agricultural Notebook edited by R. J. Soffe, Blackwell Publishing Company 2003
Carbonell I., Westall D.: English for agricultural and forestry students, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, 2001
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Comprehension Check:
- 2,400,000 ha
- especially in the lowlands of Great Britain
- grant incentives
- new farm woodland planting
- long gestation period involved in forest investments
- it arose by regular cutting of natural mixed woodland
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Check I:
F, F, T, T, F, T, F, T,
Check II
1) can be managed,
2) must be prioritized,
3) can be formulated,
4) may have to be compromised,
5) are set,
6) will depend
Check III:
Noun: occurrence, rotation, assessment, supply, protection
Verb: combine, sell, process, own, apply, expand, remove
Check IV
1) for, 2) of, 3) to, 4) by, 5) of, 6) in, 7) of, 8) from, 9) with, 10) in
Check V
1f, 2e, 3i, 4a, 5g, 6j, 7b, 8h, 9c, 10d
Check VI
- a
- c
- c
- a
- b
- b
- b
- a
- a
- c
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