10.   FORESTRY, COMPUTERS and the Internet

Foresters have always appreciated the power of computers and their ability to handle large amounts of information. From the early days of the 1950s and 60s rapid use was made of the first mainframe computers for the processing of forest inventory data and for statistical analysis, particularly multiple regression and multivariate analysis. It was only logical and natural, therefore, that as each new development arrived foresters were quick to make maximum use of the technology both for research and in day to day management of forest enterprises.

Today, with the internet, foresters with a problem can post a question to one of the forestry lists and almost certainly someone somewhere will reply with an answer. Indeed sometimes the response may be overwhelming. One of the most useful ‘lists’ with well over 1000 subscribers worldwide is the
FOREST list (FOREST Mailing list on forest research and studies)
To START your subscription:

1) send an E-mail message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.FUNET.FI
2) You will need to issue the "subscribe" command; the listserver
software will then extract your E-mail address from your message
and add it to the recipient list. The first and only line of your message
should be: "SUBSCRIBE forest Your Full Name"
3) The server program will reply to you with a confirmation message,
and you are then able to receive messages from the list.
4) PLEASE, save the instructions that you receive for further need.

Should the plural of index be indices or indexes?

The aim of the G.A.O.F - Global Association of Online Foresters - is to increase the understanding of forestry by improving communication world-wide. E-mail & Internet presents us with an opportunity to do border crossing at the speed of light. We are not bound by international boundaries and that is what makes the GAOF exciting. Have a look at:

http://www.foresters.org/

Forestry on the Internet

This section has been prepared by Mrs JP Smith of the Oxford Forestry Institute, to whom grateful acknowledgement is made.  Forestry has been in the vanguard of the use of computers in management and research for at least a half century and there are many foresters who are experts in the use of the internet.  The following should therefore be regarded as an introduction for those who are less familiar with it, though it is hoped that there may be something new and useful for everyone. Similarly the editor would be very happy to hear about new sites from members and users for inclusion in possible future updates (email: cfa@plants.ox.ac.uk)

It is almost impossible to avoid hearing about the wonders of the internet and it may seem from the press that it is used predominantly for on-line shopping or chatting to strangers in far-flung places.  In fact the World Wide Web (WWW) was originally set up for research institutions and universities to communicate and transfer data between themselves. Although the commercial aspects of the internet are widely promoted, the areas of education, research and information are still of major importance on the internet, and provide an invaluable and extensive searchable resource.

Information on all aspects of forestry is readily available on the internet, including locations of forestry research organisations and businesses and also valuable insights into past and present forestry research activities around the world.

Getting Connected

All you need to join the internet is a computer with a modem, a telephone line (preferably a dedicated one), an internet service provider (ISP) to give you access and some web browser software. There are now many ISPs offering free access to the internet who also provide you with all the software and support you need to get started.

Once you are connected, you use a web browser program (such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator) to search through the vast amounts of information available.  Note that a reliable telephone connection is vital.

Finding information

There are several ways to locate specific web sites or pages of interest. It starts with entry to the ISP program on the computer, and then:

1. Enter the web address of the site

If you know the site address you just type it on the address line. If you are looking for a large organisation or company you can try to guess the address.

Web sites consist of a set of pages linked together, with a main (home) page. Web addresses usually begin http://www… and end with codes to denote the type of organisation and possibly country where they are situated. If there is no country code given, it is usually an American site.  

Some of the codes that may be encountered are:

Some useful forestry sites include the following, but your searches will reveal many more: 

2. Use a search engine

Search engines are programs which search through massive indexes of web pages (not the actual pages themselves) for the keywords you specify. Each search engine has its own index, which is generated by scanning and collating information about the content of all web pages on the internet. Each search engine will produce different results because their indexes vary in the detail they record and the frequency at which they are updated. 

Try these search engines:

3. Use a metasearch engine

Because of the variability of results produced by different search engines, a metasearch engine is a useful tool. It submits your required keywords to a range of search engines and combines the results. 

Try these metasearch engines:

4. Follow a link from another site.

Many sites provide links or pointers to other sites covering similar topics. Try those provided at the Oxford Forestry Institute site at www.plants.ox.ac.uk/links.

Hints and Tips

Don’t worry if your browser cannot access a site. The site may not be working, it may be offline for development work, or its address may have changed. Try again later, or find it again by searching.

Remember that each web site may have many pages, so when you search you may find a page in the middle of a site and not its home page. A well-designed site will give you an option to go to its home page.

Give as many search keywords as possible to minimise the volume of information.

Further Reading

Most of the information on the use of the internet is on the web itself, although a recent comprehensive and useful book is 

Kennedy, Angus J (1999) The Internet. The Rough Guide 2000.  

Like many other modern inventions, once you are connected to this new wealth of information , you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.