Silvics

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The branch of forestry that studies the life cycles, growth patterns, and ecological relationships of trees and forests
2. The scientific study of how trees develop, reproduce, and interact with their environment throughout their lifespan
3. A field of knowledge concerned with the biology, physiology, and environmental factors affecting the life and growth of trees

Etymology: Silvics is the study of forest trees and their growth, life cycles and relationship to their environment, and its name is a plain compound built from Latin. The first part comes from "silva", meaning "forest" or "wood", the same root that gives English words such as "sylvan" and "silviculture". The second part is the "-ics" ending, which English uses to name fields of study, as in "physics" or "economics". Put together, the name simply means the science of forests, a deliberately descriptive coinage rather than a word that drifted into its current sense over centuries.