FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT.pdf

Description

Introduction
Forestry is the practice and art of managing forest lands and other
natural resources associated with forest lands such as trees, other plants,
wildlife, soil, water, air and the climate for human benefit. In the past,
our people have managed the forest for conservation and utilization
purposes through rules and taboos. The setting up of sacred forest is for
the purpose of conserving useful herbs, fruits and tree species, which are
used for building and making canoe.
People were prohibited from clearing forest along the streams and
surrounding lakes to prevent siltation and sedimentation and to allow the
water bodies retain its dept. Trees were planted within compounds to
ameliorate the air, prevent soil erosion and serve as wind-brakes. The art
of conserving the forest for sustainable yield and harvesting the forest
resources in such a manner that it will continue to regenerate itself is an
inborn knowledge with our local people before now.
The course “Principles of Forestry” is a general course in forest
resources management that deals with all aspect of forestry. Now that
only small fractions of the original forest exist, we are faced with the
problem of getting enough timber species for our building, furniture and
other constructions involving wood.
In this course we shall learn how to produce seedlings of the major
important tree species we cannot get in their natural environment any
longer and nurture them to replanting stage. We shall also learn how to
afforest the land to enable us get timber and other wood resources we
can no longer get from the natural forest. Finally, the last stage of this
course will talk about how we can harvest (fell) and transport the
harvested timber and other wood species.
The Course
The course guide tells you briefly what to expect from reading this
material. Studying forestry is like studying the changes in our natural
environment. This is because if a large portion of forest is destroyed
through fire or as a result of overexploitation or due to unsustainable
manner of harvesting, the following changes take place; soil erosion,
flooding, silting and sedimentation of streams and rivers, destruction of
habitats for wildlife, which is the main source of protein to the local
communities. Water and air pollution with its attendant climate changes
is all due to poor management of forest and other forest resources.
Important forest trees are classified according to the various vegetation
zones of the country and are further classified according to the families

these important forest trees belong. This is to further inform the reader
that as you are moving from the southern to northern part of this
country, the morphology of the various plant species changes. These
changes are noticed in their crown cover and the length of their bole and
thickness of slash.

Study Units
The study units contained in this course are as follows:
Module 1
Unit 1 Renewable Natural Resources
Unit 2 Forest as Renewable Natural Resources
Unit 3 Classification, Morphology and Distribution of Important

Forest Trees

Unit 4 Forests and Game Reserves in Nigeria
Unit 5 Silviculture: Seedling Production
Module 2
Unit 1 Treatment
Unit 2 Seed Germination
Unit 3 Seed Management
Unit 4 Protective Afforestation
Unit 5 Logging and Transportation
Module 3
Unit 1 Principles of Wildlife Management
Unit 2 Animal Behaviour
Unit 3 Wildlife Damage Problems
Unit 4 Wildlife Conservation
Unit 5 Methods of Wildlife Conservation