THIS week, Lawrence Nelson, a silviculturist with the Forestry Department, talks about the career option.

Who is a silviculturist?

Silviculture is the growing and tending of trees as a branch of forestry. A silviculturist therefore concerns him/herself with all matters that enhance or otherwise affect the growth of trees from the seedling stage to maturity. In countries for which forestry is mainly practised on an industrial scale, the silviculturist tends to be preoccupied with the economics of tree growing.

What was it that prompted your entry into the field?

Happenstance. My previous post with the Forestry Department was in research, which allowed me to interact intimately with nature and the trees to determine the best options to maximise their growth and development. The modernisation process within the organisation led to research activities being subsumed by a newly created silviculture manager, for which I applied and was successful. So I was doing research and then some.

What are your responsibilities as a silviculturist at the Forestry Department?

The work mainly pivots around the preparation of silviculture plans which are used to guide the reforestation and maintenance of forests islandwide. At this time the emphasis of such plans is particularly focused on prescribing details of land preparation and species selection for prospective planting sites. Silviculture plans also dictate the quality of maintenance activities such as weeding, (branch) pruning, culling of selected trees and just about any other activity that helps the growing tree to mature according to stated objectives. My role also extends to providing advice to staff and external stakeholders regarding the use of particular species at particular sites.

What do you enjoy the most about the work that you do?

The post of silviculture manager is brand new (three years) in comparison to the age of the department (75 years). This means that practically everything has to be done from a fresh perspective. I enjoy the challenge of having to surmount old problems by applying creative solutions within the confines of scientific forestry.

What are the challenges that you face on the job?

The main day-to-day challenges are (a) to get through the sheer volume of work (b) due to the fact that silviculture is a new area of specialisation in Jamaica, it is taking some time for partners and co-workers to fully appreciate its importance for forest management.

What are the academic requirements for entry into the field?

Any advanced degree in the botanical sciences would be a good foundation. However, the real clincher has to be experience — loads of field experience in the operational and research aspects of domestic forestry will always stand a candidate in good stead

What other skills and/or competences are required for the field?

The ability to think of, or see the forest as one ecological construct or composite organism will allow one to tackle problems within the right context. A photographic eye, a penchant for hiking over medium and long distances, attention to botanical details where others might just see ‘bush’, basic training in experimental design and statistical inference, good documentation skills, a distinct appreciation for the ‘livity’ of rural folk who depend on the forest, and the ability to orally present one’s work are a few of the more helpful attendant skills.

What sort of training is required to become a silviculturist? Where did you study?

Specialist training in silviculture is relatively accessible in first-world universities. However, their typical emphases might not be tailored to suit the present needs in local forestry as I see it. I studied (Pure & Applied) botany at the undergraduate level at the UWI (Mona). I also pursued an MPhil degree in electrophoretic characterisation of coconut germplasm at the same institution.

Why would you advise anyone to get into the field?

The Jamaica that Columbus stumbled upon was essentially covered with a pristine forest that was scantily disturbed by Taino agriculture. I interpret that as an indication that forest is the vegetation which optimally and holistically reflects the ecological circumstances of Jamaica. Anyone who has a love or yearning for restoring as much as possible of this default vegetation, as well as exploring the potential for commercial forestry to assist in the country’s economic development by partially supplanting timber imports, will need little convincing as to how gratifying this career can be.

Describe a typical day for you on the job.

A normal day in office may involve a mix of meetings, report writing, or documentation of new procedures that the agency is trying to standardize. A field day will invariably involve walking or driving through some off-the-main forested landscape to do a range of activity from cursory observation to scientific monitoring and experimental research.

Is there a demand for silviculturists worldwide?

On a worldwide scale, that demand is most likely driven by the needs of countries with large expanses of public and private commercial plantations. The smaller operations such as ours are less prone to treating silviculture as a specialty but rather as an essential skill that all foresters should have at a basic level. Here at the Forestry Department, our current approach to forest management has created a small but significant demand for graduates with botany majors including courses in forest ecology.

If you were not a silviculturist, what would you be and why?

A musician. I love music and I try to find the energy to practice a tenor saxophone every evening after work. I find a deep attraction to the unscripted multiplicity of sounds of the forest, especially at night when one can discern at one’s pleasure, the simple repetitive rhythms of specific tree frogs, or listen to the whole orchestra of forest players… fascinating!