Glossary

A unit of land measurement, equivalent to about 4,047m2 or 40% of a hectare

An area of land, usually one used for agriculture

Growing crops and raising livestock, typically for consumption

Storing products at room temperature or under normal storage conditions, typicaly between the range of 15° to 25°C

A small insect which feeds on the sap from plants and can cause damage to crops

Physically placing semen into the reproductive tract of female livestock with the aim of impregnation

Viruses that occur naturally among wild birds worldwide, but can infect domestic birds and, in some strains, other animals

Planting new forests, typically on degraded agricultural land where they did not previously exist.

Integrating trees into agricultural practices, by growing them on the same land used by crops or livestock

The keeping of bees for honey.

A large, tightly compressed cylindrical or rectangular bundle of hay

A machine used in agriculture for compressing materials such as hay into bales

A cereal grain, the seed of which is used in the production of food and some alcohols

A large building used for storage of produce or livestock on a farm

A winged stinging insect known for their important role in pollination and the production of honey

A habitation for bees to live in, which can occur naturally or be purpose-built to allow beekeepers to collect the honey they produce

A large, hairy wild animal, similar to a cow or ox and native to North America and Europe

A tusked wild animal, ancestor of the modern pig

To mate animals so that they will produce offspring, OR a specific strain of animals within a larger species that share a common appearance and characteristics

A container, typically rounded and with a handle, used for carrying things

A large wild ox with backwards-pointing horns, native to Asia and Africa, OR see 'bison' (buffalo in North American is synonymous)

An uncastrated male bovine

A finished pig sold to be made into bacon or ham; heavier than a porker

A device that leaves a temporary trail of foam blobs in its path to show that a tractor driver can see where he has already been when working in a manner that leaves no tracks

Scientific name for 'mad cow disease'; a neurodegenerative disease occuring in cattle that can also affect other animals

A bacterial disease occurring in cattle which may also infect other mammals; the main reason for the pasteurisation of milk

A castrated male bovine

A calf sold at weaning (6-10 months of age)

The diversity among living organisms on planet Earth, within and between species

The mass of organic materials (including plants, animals and microorganisms), which may be used to produce energy

A forest that grows in the cold climates of the northern hemisphere

The layer formed above a forest floor by the branches and crowns of plants and trees

The process of isolating and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide; a tool designed to reduce climate change

Something that absorbs more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it releases; for example, some forests and the ocean

A natural drainage area in which rainfall is collected

To remove all of the trees in an area chosen for logging

An area of a larger forest; the basic territorial unit of a forest

A sub-area of a forest occuring within a compartment, harvested in a single operation

Monument(s), building(s) or site(s) considered to be of great historical or anthropological significance.

A sheep (often a heavily pregnant ewe) that has fallen onto its back and is unable to right itself, causing distress and possible death

Food for chicken hatchlings, fed from immediately after hatching to 6-8 weeks of age

A Northern English and Scottish word for sticky mud

An avian disease caused by parasites, which can impact poultry flocks

Areas of uncultivated high ground where sheep from several different flocks can graze together without fences

The process of growing different crops year after year on the same piece of land, to avoid exhausting the soil

Ewes that are no longer productive (ie. dry or have lost lambs) and are 'culled' from the flock, often being sold to the abbatoir

A young bovine animal, typically a domestic cow or bull that has not yet reached a year of age

A small, domesticated feline

A group of ruminants with cloven hooves, domesticated for meet or milk

A young chicken or other bird, typically newly-hatched

A domesticated bird kept for eggs or meat

A machine used to harvest grain crops, which reaps, threshes and cleans the crop

A cage or pen in which domesticated poultry live

A tall cereal plant that grows long ears of edible kernels on its stalks

A fully-grown domesticated bovine animal, kept for meat or milk

A plant that is grown and harvested on a large scale, typically commercially

A piece of farm machinery used for breaking up the ground and removing weeds

A domesticated canine

A domesticated hoofed with long ears, related to the horse

A male duck

A waterbird with webbed feet, a broad beak, and a waddling gait

A young duck

A lock of sheep's wool clogged with dung

The process of removing dags

The location in which milk is processed, stored and distributed

A necessary step in the lactation cycle of domesticated cows, during which they are no longer being milked by humans or nursing calves and their udder tissue can repair and rejuvenate

The hardest variety of wheat, which has a high gluten content and is typically used for making pasta

The clearing of large areas of forest by humans

An assemblage of native species that inhabits a particular area in nature. (abridged Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 definition)

The Ecological Sustainable Development Working Group on Forest Use has specified three requirements for sustainable forest use: maintaining the ecological processes within forests (the formation of soil, energy flows and the carbon, nutrient and water cycles); maintaining the biological diversity of forests; and optimising the benefits to the community from all uses of forests within ecological constraints. (National Forest Policy Statement) (There is no common definition in the literature for this term).

ESFM is about managing forests to ensure they meet our present needs without affecting the options they can provide for future generations and, at the same time, maintain and protect other forest values

An EVC is a grouping of vegetation communities based on floristic, structural and ecological features.

A dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a functional unit. (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 definition)

Species in danger of extinction and whose survival is unlikely if the causal factors continue operating. Included are species whose numbers have been reduced to a critical level or whose habitats have been so drastically reduced that the species are deemed to be in danger of extinction. Also included are species that are possibly already extinct but have definitely been seen in the wild in the past fifty years and have not been subject to recent thorough searching. (National Forest Policy Statement)

An endangered forest ecosystem is defined as one which is likely to become extinct in nature unless the circumstances and factors threatening its extent, survival or evolutionary development cease to operate; as determined by the application of the criteria outlined in section 6.1.

Land that is being given a temporary rest from crop production.

A place where animal feeds are manufactured.

A substance added to the soil to increase its productivity.

The word flink is (supposed to be) used for twelve or more cattle in a group. It appears to be a term local to parts of North America, mainly central USA and even there does not seem to be in common use. The only modern usage we can find is by crossword compilers stuck for a word.

A type of sugar beet grown for feeding to cattle or sheep.

A highly contagious disease of cloven hooved animals - see the Foot and Mouth Disease FAQs on this site.

A chemical used to control or destroy fungi in crops.

The incorporation of tree growing into farming systems for a range of commercial and environmental benefits.

Fauna is the collective description for members of the animal kingdom. Fauna includes animals, birds, reptiles, fish and insects.

Flora is the collective description for members of the plant kingdom. Flora includes trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses, ferns and mosses.

A vegetation type dominated by woody vegetation having a mature or potential mature stand height exceeding 5 meteres, with an overstorey canopy cover greater than 20%.

All forests growing on public or private lands.

FISAP is an assistance program designed to help businesses in the native forest hardwood timber industry adjust to changes they face due to timber resource changes under RFAs.

A forest type is a classification of a forest according to the dominant tree species, or group of species.

The people whose livelihood is directly dependent on working in forests, such as tree fellers, apiarists, rangers, truck drivers.

Forestry is the management of forests, for a variety of values.

Gases that affect the temperature of the Earth's surface and have a large bearing on the Earth's climate. They include water vapour, ozone, chlorofluorocarbons, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. The 'enhanced greenhouse effect' refers to changes in the Earth's climate as a result of increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activity. (National Forest Policy Statement)

An adult, female sheep that is not in lamb when others are. Often she has been kept away from the ram because of problems at a previous lambing. Gelt ewes are fattened for sale to the meat trade at a time when lamb is in short supply

A female sheep that has been weaned but not yet sheared. i.e. about 6 months to 15 months old.

Grass that is sown in the expectation that it will only last for a limited period before being ploughed up. There are short-term leys (1 or 2 years), medium-term leys (up to 5 years) and long-term leys (5-7 years). Beyond that the land will probably be permanent pasture.

The poultry feed equivalent to weaner pellets - suitable for fast growing juvenile birds.

A measure of the quality of wheat and its suitability for certain processes. In practice it is a measure of the viscosity of a broth made from the grain. A sample of the grain is ground, mixed with water and heated. It is put into a narrow tube and the time taken in seconds for a weighted plunger to fall a fixed distance is noted.

The stems of potato plants

Dried grass used for animal feed. It is cut, left to dry in the field and then baled. It is fed to livestock through the winter when fresh grass not available. Nowadays rarely used except for horses as it's production is unreliable in the UK climate. See our stock and crops pages for more details.

the acclimatising of a flock of hill sheep to 'their' part of the hillside. A hefted flock is worth more to a farmer than one that has not been acclimatised as they roam far less and are easier to manage.

A young female cow. A maiden heifer has not yet had a calf.

Chemicals used to control or destroy weeds.

Farming in the upland areas of Britain.

Male or female sheep from weaning to first shearing.

The biophysical medium or media (a) occupied (continuously, periodically or occasionally) by an organism or group of organisms; or (b) once occupied (continuously, periodically or occasionally) by an organism, or group of organisms, and into which organisms of that kind have the potential to be reintroduced. (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 definition)

A hardwood is the wood from a flowering tree, such as a eucalypt.

Forest harvesting is the planned extraction of wood from a forest. Trees are felled (cut down) according to the harvesting plan and the trunks have the branches removed and are cut into logs for transport to the mill.

Harvesting both sawlogs and pulpwood in a single operation. Can mean the removal of 90% of the canopy in a logging coupe in forest types that require full sun for regeneration. Seed trees, habitat trees and saplings remain.

Encourage the growth of a crop by supplying extra water.

See harvesting.

Producing milk.

A place where livestock are kept temporarily. A waiting, holding or recovery area supplied with appropriate feeding and watering facilities. They are commonly found at markets, ports and abbotoirs.

Before the invention of two-way ploughs soil could only be turned one way. For convenience fields were divided into sections called lands which were ploughed by going round and around turning the soil to the middle. Lands were sited in different places each year.

Poultry food suitable for birds producing large numbers of eggs.

Area of the country designated under European Union rules as needing extra financial support to sustain farming communities

The range of plans dealing with strategic and operational issues of forest management prepared for specific regional or local areas and integrating environmental and commercial objectives.

The periodic and systematic measurement and assessment of change in an indicator.

A large area of a single species.

The informal agreement by the Montreal Process Group of countries to work towards the implementation of a comprehensive set of criteria and indicators for forest conservation and sustainable management.

The management of forests for a variety of uses and values, such as water production, recreation, apiculture, and timber production.

The old Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, now replaced by DEFRA.

Animal dung generally mixed with the bedding straw and 'composted'.

A small scale intensive farm producing (usually) vegetables and fruit for sale in local markets, sometimes direct to local businesses and the public.

An infection of the udder. If left untreated it can severely damage the ability of a cow or sheep to produce milk.

A dry mix of feed ingredients, usually with the individual feeds distinguishable in the mix.

An ingredient in animal feed and fertiliser. It is produced largely from the bits humans don't want to or can't eat. Typically guts and bones, but also carcasses unfit for human consumption. The meat is ground and heat treated (ie cooked) and then dried to a meal. The product is high in fat, protein and essential minerals (like phosphorus).

A place where cows (or other animals) are milked. Usually attached to a dairy.

1: To Mill, verb - grind ingredients to make Meal OR 2: noun - a synonym for Meal.

A narrow, unlined drain in clay soil made with a special plough. A long narrow blade with a cylindrical foot is dragged through poorly draining soil leaving a circular cross sectioned hole with a disturbed section of soil above it. Mole drains require no liners and may continue to work for several years in really sticky soils.

Animal manure contains nutrients that can benefit the soil. Farms that have a lot of manure, removed from buildings where animals have been housed during the winter, may spread it onto their fields to act as a fertiliser.

Old-growth forests are ecologically mature forest and has been subjected to negligible unnatural disturbance, such as harvesting, roading, clearing; or where the effects of any such disturbance is now negligible. The definition focuses on forest in which the upper stratum or overstorey is in the late mature or over mature growth phases. (adjusted National Forest Policy Statement definition)

Sheep from upland areas of Britain are regularly sent for the winter to lowland areas where feed is more available and the weather less harsh. They return to the uplands before lambing in the spring. The owner of the sheep pays the owner of the lowland farm a certain amount per sheep

Oxen, usually cattle trained to work as draught animals.

The planned application of fire to vegetation on land selected in advance of such application for forest management applications such as weed suppression, fire hazard reduction, habitat management and regeneration.

An assemblage of native plant and animal species that inhabits a particular area in nature. (abridged Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 definition)

Intensively managed stands of trees of either native or exotic species, created by the regular placement of seedlings or seed. (NFPS)

Private forests are on private property. They are owned and managed by individuals or companies.

Prospecting is a small scale search more minerals, such as gold. It is often a recreational activity, conducted with hand held metal detectors.

Public forests are forests managed by the government on behalf of the people. These forests include State forests, national parks and many other types of reserves. (any forest on Crown land for which management responsibility has been delegated to government agencies, local governments or other instrumentalities. - NFPS)

Material made up of separate fibres that is used to make paper.

Pulpwood is logs not of suitable quality or size for sawing that instead are processed into woodchips, mainly for the production of paper.

Chemicals used to control or destroy crop pests. They include insecticides, herbicides (aimed at weeds), molluscicides (aimed at slugs and snails), and fungicides (aimed at fungi).

Damage caused to grassland when animals churn up the fields during wet weather.

A finished pig sold for pork. The youngest grade of adult pigmeat.

Every country in the European Union has a limit to the amount of milk that it is allowed to produce. That is its 'quota'. The total quota is divided up between all the dairy farmers in the country. Their individual quota is the number of litres of milk that they are allowed to produce each year. There are heavy financial penalties for producing too much milk and going 'over quota'. A farmer who does not use all of his quota may sell or lease it to another farmer. Anyone who wishes to start producing milk or to expand their business must first buy or lease quota.

The European Union pays a subsidy to farmers who keep sheep. This subsidy is known as Sheep Annual Premium (SAP). There is a limit to the amount of subsidy that any farmer can claim, governed by how much quota the farm possesses. A farmer who has 100 units of quota may only claim the subsidy for 100 breeding ewes or ewe lambs, even if he has many more sheep in total. Originally, every farmer who registered was given some quota by the government. Now, if they need more quota it must be bought or leased from another farmer who has some to spare. Quota is not needed to keep sheep, only to claim the subsidy.

Fitting rams with a harness that contains a paint block. The paint leaves a mark on the rump of each ewe with whom the ram mates. Lack of a mark tells the farmer which ewes should remain longer with the ram. Sometimes thick paint is applied directly to the ram's chest rather than using a harness. This wears off more quickly and must be renewed regularly.

A herbicide that will remain in the soil and continue to destroy weeds long after it is applied.

Of sheep - overturned. A heavily pregnant, broad backed ewe may roll over and be unable to right herself. She is rigwelted. There is also a beer called Rigwelter due to the similar effect it is said to have on humans.

A sign that sheep are ready for shearing. The previous winter's greasy wool is lifted away from the skin by new wool that is much easier to cut. The Rise is seen as a yellowish line.

Grazing on natural, unmanaged grass and other vegetation growing on mountain slopes, moorland etc.

An animal (they are all herbivores) that 'chew the cud'. Examples are cattle, sheep and deer but NOT horses. They digest more of a plant than 'single stomached' animals by having a 'rumen' (the first of several stomachs) where the plant material they have eaten are fermented by micro-organisms to produce proteins and sugars the animal can digest.

Dense forest usually found in tropical areas of heavy rainfall and valued for the richness of biodiversity, aesthetics, and fine quality timbers. Rainforest also encompasses the dense warm temperate and cool temperate forests on Australia's east coast and Tasmania which are relics of an era of much higher rainfall.

Comprehensive plans for the recovery of a threatened species of ecological community, including details, timing and costs of what action needs to be taken.

Native forest containing a substantial proportion of trees in a younger growth phase, actively growing in height and diameter. Regrowth forests may contain scattered individuals or small occurrences of ecologically mature, or old-growth trees. (NFPS)

The re-establishment of a forest following a disturbance, such as a bushfire or forest harvesting.

Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) are an agreement about the long-term management and use of forests in a particular region between the Commonwealth and a State Government. Its purpose is to reduce uncertainty, duplication and fragmentation in government decision-making by producing a durable agreement on the management and use of forests.

Reserves are forests that are set aside from timber production, either by formal [legal] means, as in the case of national parks, or by informal means, such as management decisions in a management plan.

The riparian zone refers to the area directly adjacent to a waterway.

The fees paid to the forest owner for harvested timber.

A fungal disease of wheat and to a lesser extent of barley and oats. The spores of septoria are spread by rain splashes and a wet spring can promote a severe infection. Septoria reduces the number, size and quality of grains produced. The yield of an infected crop may be cut by up to 40% and in some cases it may not be worth harvesting.

Making an animal pregnant naturally or by artificial insemination.

Land that arable farmers must take out of production for one or more years. In exchange for setting aside the land from production the farmer receives compensation for the crop he would otherwise have grown

A young sheep between its first and second shearing. Sheep are normally sheared once a year.

Grass or other crops that have been cut, allowed to wilt but not completely dry out, and are then preserved in plastic wrapping or in a large mound or pit (called a clamp) from which all air is excluded. Silage is fed to livestock through the winter when fresh grass is not available.

Animal dung mixed with water or urine. It can be stored in a slurry lagoon before being spread on fields as a fertiliser.

Northern term. Weaning, especially of lambs.

(West Country) see poaching.

Animals bred for meat production sold before they are ready to be killed. A farmer breeds them and rears them through their early life when they are at greatest risk from disease but because they are small they need relatively little food. They are sold as stores to someone who has plenty of feed available and specialises in fattening them.

Single ingredient animal feedstuffs. 'Straight' barley means just barley and nothing else. Farmers may buy or grow two or three straights and mix them to produce a balanced diet.

The mother of a calf raised for beef production

Sawlogs are logs of suitable size and quality for milling into sawn timber, veneer, poles or sleepers.

A sawmill is a factory where sawlogs are sawn into boards.

The leftovers after sawing, including sawdust.

Solid timber that has been cut into boards for use in construction or furniture.

A forest community dominated by eucalypts. The term sclerophyll refers to plants with hard, thick leaves.

Is where small groups or single mature trees are removed, together with some thinning of the forest stand to encourage regeneration and maintain an uneven aged stand.

A silvicultural system in which trees are removed in a series of cuts designed to achieve a new even-aged stand under the shelter of remaining trees.

Silviculture is broadly defined as the care and management of forests. 'A "silvicultural system" is a planned method of forest management in which the protection, regeneration, tending and utilisation of the crop are incorporated into the objects of management.' (MR Jacobs 1955 Growth habits of the Eucalypts Commonwealth Government Printer, Canberra p.183)

Increasingly an aspect of project planning and Environmental Impact Assessment, Social Assessment is a process which supports stakeholder participation and makes explicit the social factors that affect development impacts and results. In many cases it can improve design and delivery and forestall unforeseen consequences of project design that frequently occur without social science input.

A softwood is the wood from a conifer, such as a pine tree. Tree species defined by anatomical characteristics that commonly (but not always) produce softer, lighter timber. Pinus is the principal softwood plantation genus in Australia.

A group of biological entities that interbreed to produce fertile offspring, or possess common characteristics derived from a common gene pool. (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 definition)

Publicly owned forests that are managed by State or Territory governments for multiple purposes, including the production of timber.

Sustainable refers to the level or intensity of use of a resource (such as a forest) being such that the activity can be done now without reducing the possibilities for future generations use of the resource.

Sustainable yield refers to the amount of timber that may be harvested from a forest without the forest qualities declining in the long term. It varies over time, as forests grow and change, and is not constant.

Ferguson's invention of a connection that permitted a tractor to lift as well as drag a plough or other implement. This made it possible to cultivate a much wider range of soils than before.

Strictly a secondary flowering/seedbearing stalk in wheat or other cereal plant. Desirable in that the plant produces a greater number of seeds per seed planted. The term is sometimes used loosely to refer to any, including the primary, flowering stalk.

Apply fertiliser to a growing crop.

Cutting down weeds and grass that have grown too long. The equivalent of mowing the lawn.

Turnip' Townsend devised a winter feeding regime whereby root crops were grown for animal fodder. Prior to this most livestock was slaughtered in the autumn and the remainder barely survived on hay until the spring. Modern silage systems have largely replaced the root crops.

A cereal crop that is a cross between rye and wheat.

USA: Term equivalent to 'Market Garden' (see above). Truck means to trade or barter - still sometimes used as in: 'I will have no truck with him.'

Invented a seed drill. The sowing of seed in rows made it possible to use a horsedrawn hoe and thereby increase efficiency.

A male sheep. Another word for 'ram'.

The removal of some trees from a stand so that the remaining trees are able to grow more.

A native species or community that is vulnerable, endangered or presumed extinct. (as defined in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999)

Butchers will only buy lambs that have reached a certain weight and level of fatness. How long it takes a lamb to grow to this size varies according to breed, birth weight and food available. Some lambs finish sooner than others. On hill farms where there is not enough outdoor feed for lambs, any remaining at the end of the year may be sold as stores, to be finished on lowland farms during the winter and spring.

Native species believed likely to move into the 'endangered species' category in the near future if the causal factors continue operating. Included are species of which all or most of the populations are decreasing because of over-exploitation, extensive destruction of habitat or other environmental disturbance; species with populations that have been seriously depleted and the ultimate security of which has not been assured; species of populations that are still abundant but are under threat from severe adverse factors throughout their range; and species with low or localised populations or dependent upon limited habitat and that would be vulnerable to new threatening processes. (NFPS)

A vulnerable forest ecosystem is defined as one which, within the next 25 years, is likely to become endangered unless the circumstances and factors threatening its extent, survival or evolutionary development cease to operate; as determined by the application of the criteriaoutlined in section 6.1.

See Cake. Small or juvenile animal pellets are usually smaller in size with adjusted ingredients.

A castrated male sheep.

A byproduct of flour milling. It contains fragments of bran, seedcoat and some flour. Rather dusty but a useful animal food.

Water quality refers to the amount of nutrients, particles and chemicals contained in the water.

Water yield from a forest is the amount of water that comes from the forest into a water catchment.

Wilderness is an area, including the plants and animals, that has not been substantially changed from what it was like before European settlement. The area is big enough to be able to maintain itself in that state. Land that, together with its plant and animal communities, is in a state that has not been substantially modified by, and is remote from, the influences of European settlement or is capable of being restored to such a state; is of sufficient size to make its maintenance in such a state feasible; and is capable of providing opportunities of solitude and self-reliant recreation. (National Forest Policy Statement).

A vegetation type dominated by woody vegetation having a mature or potential mature stand height exceeding 5 metres, with an overstorey canopy cover less than 20%.

Woodchips are small pieces of wood used for making paper and composite boards like medium density fibreboard (MDF) and particle board, as well as garden uses.

The Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, agreed in Paris on 23 November 1972.

Sites of outstanding universal natural or cultural significancewhich are included on the World Heritage List.

Multi-purpose word describing areas in and around buildings, usually where stock is kept, things stored, or used by traffic.

A slang term for a female sheep

Fields of grass are grown but the animals are not allowed to graze them. Instead, the grass is cut regularly and taken to the animals. It has the advantage that fields are never poached and all the grass is used rather than animals just grazing the best bits. Against this must be set the cost of machinery, fuel and labour.