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Renewable Forestry Resources

Even the most renewable of resources can disappear from a forest if incorrectly managed. Generally, renewable resources are those which can be removed from the forest but will be naturally replaced over time. With the interference of humans, however, this generally takes some careful management and overseeing in order to maintain the balance that nature does on her own.

Trees
- Pines are a common sight in certified forests.
  
  Trees are perhaps the first resource thought of when referring to renewable forestry resources. Aside from lumber, trees are harvested to make a variety of products from mulch and paper to firewood and fuel. Some trees -- such as maple -- can also be utilized for purposes such as draining sap and creating syrup.
  
  Logging has long been an unavoidable consequence of human life and continues to be so. Responsible forestry and logging is becoming more prominent, with old growth forests that have been around for generations being left alone in favor of using fast-growing trees, such as pine and bamboo; once these trees have been cut, others are planted, ensuring propagation of the forest.
Plants
- Many pharmaceutical compunds came from the forest.
  
  Plants smaller than trees make up a large part of the renewable resources of forests. There are a range of uses for the wild plants of the forest. Shiitake and other types of mushrooms are a valuable food source, and berries such as those from the saw-palmetto have been found to have medicinal value.
  
  Compounds from deciduous and tropical rainforests have been extracted from a variety of plants and discovered to have medicinal value. Now, some of these compounds are used in treatments of medication conditions from leukemia to headaches and arthritis. Some plant extracts are used in much more mundane ways, such as in insect repellent.
Tourism
- Countless individuals rely on healthy, maintained forests for a livelihood.
  
  Tourism is a forestry resource that can be the difference between a thriving area and a ghost town. Many national and state parks encourage individuals to come out and enjoy the forests in a responsible way, while bringing business to nearby towns, restaurants and stores.
  
  Large forest environments, like the Florida everglades, can bring millions of dollars each year to hotels, restaurants and other corporations nearby. But small businesses also rely on forests; from individuals who give guided tours on horseback to those who run whitewater rafting businesses, they all rely on the pristine condition of the forest for their livelihood. Tourism is renewable; clean, trash-free forests, pristine rivers and streams and abundant wildlife will all keep people coming back year after year.
Water
- Water is a valuable and renewable natural resource.
  
  Rivers and streams run through both tropical and deciduous and are a valuable resource for those who live in and around the forest.
  
  Farmland on the outskirts of a forest can heavily nutrient-rich because of the dead and decaying forest material washed down from the forests. Trees, plants and animal material makes for extremely fertile land around the waterways and downstream from the forests. Clean and clear waterways also provide a route to get forest products from where they are harvested to roads; rivers and streams are also a source of irrigation and drinking water for those who live in the area. Without these waterways, forest ecosystems would be lacking a consistent supply of water and other, smaller ecosystems, such as those contained in the water, would disappear.

Nature