Extensive and Intensive Forest Management

Both Intensive and Extensive Forest Management plans recognize forests as an important part of a country's past, present, and future. The management plans are developed by forest managers or technicians to make sure that forests are looked after. The difference between extensive and intensive management plans is the amount of work done to the forest on an ongoing basis.

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Extensive Forest Management (EFM) requires a plan that meets the legal requirements of protecting species and waterways during logging and harvesting in such a way as to encourage natural regeneration. Replanting within a set number of years is also required.

Intensive Forest Management (IFM) meets all the legal requirements found in Extensive Forest Management with additional silviculture and management techniques. Such techniques can include using genetically superior seedlings for artificial regeneration; silvicultural techniques such as scarification, cleaning, thinning, fertilizing, spacing and pruning. The goals with Intensive Forest Management is to get the highest, best quality yield possible in the shortest amount of time so that the area can be logged again sooner. Intensive Forest Management is more costly and may be more damaging to the environment, as herbicides and fertilizers are often used.


Extensive Forest Management

Intensive Forest Management
  • Forest land is divided into large management units.
  • Units are too large to be managed by foresters or forest technicians.
  • Forests are recognized as an important part of the country’s past, present, and future.
  • Forests are considered as property of public importance. Governments influence the management of forests through laws.
  • Logging companies pay for the reforestation to make sure there is timber in the future.
  • Management plans are created by professional foresters, approved by the government, and periodically revised.
  • Age class distribution of the forest area is planned and maintained through harvesting. Supervised by a forest manager or technician.
  • Replanting in logged areas is the responsibility of the logging company and is usually required within five years of logging. Supervised by a forest manager or technician.
  • Logging is supervised by a forest manager or technician.
  • Systematic and consistent recording of all forestry activities.
  • The size of established management units is much smaller than in extensive forest management.
  • A certain minimum number of professional foresters and forest technicians are employed to monitor and record growth and activities.
  • Logging is not separated from forestry. Harvesting is part of the silvicultural treatment.
  • The objectives of the management plan are to give:
    • The choice and acceptance of a silvicultural system.
    • The location of divisions and of the permanent road system.
    • The short term cutting plan for harvest cutting and intermediate cuttings.
    • The reforestation plan.
  • The stands must not only be established but also be tended with silvicultural and harvesting activities to ensure that each stand is resistant to wind, fire, insects, etc.


In general, Extensive Forest Management is practiced in Canada because there are large quantities of forests available that can be harvested at a lower cost than if Intensive Forest Management was used. As well, even with the new forest management technologies used in Intensive Management, Canada’s Mean Annual Increment (MAI) is very low. MAI is the volume of wood growing on one hectare of forest during one year—or the growth rate in one year.

To stay competitive on the world market, Canada needs to keep costs down when producing lumber. Tropical countries, where trees grow faster, have MAI’s ranging from 15–25 m3/ha, compared to Canada’s average MAI of 1.7m3/ha. Since trees in the tropics grow faster, an area can be harvested more often, giving these countries a competitive advantage. Studies show that it is possible to double an area’s MAI in Canada using Intensive Forest Management techniques on high quality land. MAIs grow substantially when Intensive Forest Management techniques are used in tropical areas. It has been argued that if Intensive Forest Management techniques were taught and encouraged in tropical areas, deforestation and illegal logging would be minimized.

We already learned that many European forests were devastated by overharvesting in the 18th century. Many of these countries are working to rebuild forests using Intensive Forest Management. The most successful Intensive Forest Management example is found in Japan where Satoyama is practiced.

Satoyama is an important Japanese cultural forest conservation practice that works to harmoniously blend management of forest, rice fields, grassland, and water sources. This practice has ensured that Japan’s forests remain relatively stable even with a growing population.
Japan Hibiya Park Forest and Tokyo cityscape.
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