Glossary
Ancient woodland
Woodland which has been in continuous existence since 1600 (1750 in Scotland)
ASNW
Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland
ASSI
Area of Special Scientific Interest - the Northern Ireland equivalent of SSSI
Boreal region
Region of forest areas of the Northern Temperate Zone: dominated by coniferous trees such as spruce, fir and pine
Broadleaf
Trees which do not have needles or cones (a few, such as alder, have cone-like structures for their seeds which are not true cones)
BWW
Better Woodlands for Wales, launched in December 2005.
Cement bonded particleboard
Sheet material manufactured under pressure, based on wood and other vegetable particles bound with hydraulic cement and possibly containing additives
Chipboard
(see Particleboard)
Coated
A term applied to any type of paper whose surface has been treated in such a way as to apply a coating in order to enhance its finish characteristics. The coating consists of a layer of coating materials such as clay, various pigments and/or special substances in combination with adhesives of some type, varnish or lacquer. The coating is used to improve the surface characteristic of the paper, e.g., opacity, smoothness, colour, printing quality
Conifer
Trees with needles and cones
Coppice
Trees which are cut near ground level (or sometimes higher in which case they are pollards), causing them to produce many small shoots. These shoots are harvested every few years at a relatively early age for products such as staves, fencing, fuel and charcoal. 'Coppice with standards' includes scattered trees that are left to grow as normal ('standards')
DARDNI
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Northern Ireland
Defra
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
ECS
Energy Crop Scheme
ERDP
England Rural Development Programme
Establishment
The first five to ten years or formative period that ends once young trees are of sufficient size that, given adequate protection, they are likely to survive at the required stocking.
EWGS
English Woodland Grant Scheme, launched in July 2005.
FAO
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation
FC
Forestry Commission: the government department responsible for forestry matters in Great Britain. The responsibility for forestry is devolved to ministers in the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly, but the executive functions are exercised throughout Great Britain by the FC
FE
Forest Enterprise: the agencies or parts of the Forestry Commission responsible for managing the FC forest estate
Fibreboard
Panel material with thickness equal to or greater than 1.5mm, manufactured from lignocellulosic fibres with application of heat and/or pressure. The bond is derived either from the felting of the fibres and their inherent adhesive properties or from a synthetic binder added to the fibres
FNR
Forest Nature Reserve
Forest
In the United Kingdom, there is no formal definition of 'forest'; the term is often used for large areas (especially conifers) or for old Royal hunting preserves such as the New Forest or the Forest of Dean.
FRA
Forest Resources Assessment
FS
Northern Ireland Forest Service (an agency of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development)
FSC
Forest Stewardship Council
FWPS
Farm Woodland Premium Scheme
GB
Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales
GIS
Geographic Information System
Green tonne
Weight measurement of timber fresh felled before any natural or artificial drying has occurred
ha
hectare (2.471 acres)
Hardwood
The wood of broadleaved trees, a term sometimes used for the broadleaved trees themselves
High forest
Trees capable of growing to be suitable for timber production (compare with coppice)
LNR
Local Nature Reserve
MDF (medium-density fibreboard)
Wood fibreboard made by a dry process in which the primary bond is derived from a bonding agent, and having a density usually exceeding 600 kg m3
Miscanthus
Woody, perennial rhizomatous grasses originating from Asia
Native species
Species that have arrived and inhabited an area naturally, without deliberate assistance by man. For trees and shrubs in the United Kingdom usually taken to mean those present after post-glacial recolonisation and before historic times. Some species are only native in particular regions - hence locally native
Natural colonisation
Creation of new woodland by natural means, i.e. without sowing or planting
Natural regeneration
Regeneration of existing woodland by natural means, i.e. without sowing or planting
New planting
Establishing woodland on ground that was not woodland in the recent past
NGO
Non-government organisation(s)
NI
Northern Ireland
NIWT
National Inventory of Woodland and Trees
NNR
National Nature Reserve
NT
National Trust
NTS
National Trust for Scotland
ONS
Office for National Statistics
Origin
The original natural genetic source
OSB (oriented strand board)
Multi-layered board made from strands of wood of a predetermined shape and thickness together with a binder. The strands in the external layers are aligned and parallel to the board length or width
OSNW
Other (not ancient) Semi-Natural Woodland
Overbark
The volume of wood including the bark. Can be either standing volume or felled volume
Particleboard
Panel material manufactured under pressure and heat from particles of wood (wood (also chipboard) flakes, chips, shavings, sawdust) in particle form, with the addition of an adhesive
PAWS
Plantation on an ancient woodland site
PEFC
Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification
Plywood
Woodbased panel consisting of an assembly of layers bonded together with the direction of the grain in adjacent layers, usually at right angles. (Not made in the UK)
Pulp
A fibrous material produced by mechanically or chemically reducing wood into their component parts from which pulp, paper and paperboard sheets are formed after proper slushing and treatment or used for dissolving purposes (dissolving pulp or chemical cellulose) to make rayon, plastics, and other synthetic products. Sometimes called wood pulp
Recovered
Either industrial process by-products (e.g. offcuts or fines from a board manufacturing mill, furniture factory, joinery or construction) or from post-consumer waste wood (e.g. pallets, construction waste) after the stage of recovery or reclamation for purposes of recycling
Restocking
The replanting of an area after trees are removed
Roundwood
Logs and small branches (small roundwood)
RSPB
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
SAC
Special Area of Conservation
Sawlogs
Material of at least 14 cm top diameter that is destined to be sawn into planks or boards
Sawmill products
Materials including wood chips, sawdust and bark which arise during the conversion of logs to sawn timber. Most used as inputs to other wood processing industries, or sold for other uses. Formerly called sawmill residues or co-products
Sawnwood
Sawn timber - timber that has been cut into planks or boards from logs
Scrub
Area of poorly formed trees or bushes unsuitable for conversion to timber
SEERAD
Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Development
Semi-natural
Woodland with natural characteristics (predominantly native species of trees, ground plants and animals) where wood production is not a primary objective; this term is used rather than natural because the woodland may have originally been planted or have been managed for wood production in the past
SFGS
Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme. Introduced in June 2003 to replace the Woodland Grant Scheme in Scotland
Silviculture
The care and cultivation of forest trees
Softwood
The wood of coniferous trees or conifers themselves
SPA
Special Protection Area
SRC
Short rotation coppice (either willow or popular)
SSSI
Site of special scientific interest (the equivalent designation in Northern Ireland is ASSI)
Standing volume
Measurement of quantity before trees are felled. Usually expressed as cubic metres overbark standing
Thinning
A proportion of stems removed in order to give the best stems space and light to grow into a more valuable crop. This is usually carried out some time after canopy closure and may be repeated at intervals. It is a necessary operation in the production of quality timber. A temporary reduction in standing volume will result
UK
United Kingdom: Great Britain and Northern Ireland
UKFPA
United Kingdom Forest Products Association
UN ECE
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, responsible for the Temperate and Boreal Forest Resource Assessment and for compiling international statistics on production and trade of wood products
Underbark
The volume of wood excluding the bark
Veneer
A thin layer of wood, produced by peeling or slicing, used for decorative purposes. Veneers are usually applied to less expensive or less attractive substitutes including solid timber, woodbased sheet materials, etc.
WAG
Welsh Assembly Government
WGS
Woodland Grant Scheme.
Woodland
Land under stands of trees with a canopy cover of at least 20% (25% in Northern Ireland), or having the potential to achieve this, including integral open space, and including felled areas that are awaiting restocking
WRME
Wood Raw Material Equivalent - the volume of trees required to produce a wood product. Can be measured underbark or overbark.
