Pour une nouvelle définition de l'aménagement forestier en tant que discipline d'ingénieur

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to plead in favour of a new definition of forest planning considered as part of the engineering sciences. Indeed, the conceptualisation and implementation of this discipline are subject to spatial, property and administrative constraints that affect its capacity to adapt and meet the new objectives assigned to forests and its role as intermediary between the public authorities and forest management. The context of forest management has changed in three respects. The number of interested parties has increased ; in addition to the State, attention must also be paid to demands that are being asserted on the international and local levels. Social expectations have changed : their objectives are broader and their purpose has been redefined, e.g., greater emphasis on multiple-use and on interaction between forests and their geographical and human environments. Finally, new tools and new methods have emerged : data handling and processing, environmental observation, description of ecosystems, forest observation networks, etc. In view of these considerations, we suggest a new definition of forest planning that focuses on three functions : mediation between expectations and management possibilities, organisation and integration of the various functions of a forest and its environment, organisation and use of forest information.