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Left – A special opportunity. A clump of birch trees, felled and left on the ground with two trunks left standing. |
....What is Natural Forest Practice?
Caring for the natural forest should be obvious- but it’s not! Magnificent forests evolved without our intervention but we became so captivated by the trees that we forgot there is a whole community- of insects, birds, plants, mammals and much more. Our intervention has been a disaster for the forest and the worldwide environment. We think we know best, whereas in fact the interaction of all these is so complex and there are so many factors involved, that it is beyond our comprehension how it functions. How dare we call ourselves managers?
* Natural Forest Practice respects the forest community as a whole, thus addressing our needs for conserving and protecting the natural forest in this the 21st century.
* Natural Forest Practice is thus about restoring healthy forests achieved with a helping-hand, a little year on year rather than a lot in one go then nothing.
* For millennia we have managed our woodlands and forests as if they consisted of little more than trees. Natural Forest Practice is all about liberating ourselves from this. Rather it is about seeing the forest as whole, a vibrant community, if only we will let it flourish.
Many people might say this is obvious. However, there is a world of difference between just focussing on the trees and looking at the forest as a complex, rich, diverse, interactive system in which soil is linked to fungi, insects to sunlight, birds to sturdy oaks, mammals to food sources, flowering plants to the seasons. The list is endless. They all have a role to play in maintaining the overall health of the forest as a self-regulating, dynamic, vibrant whole. Thus it is that Natural Forest Practice promotes healthy self-sustaining woodland.
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