Forest, forestry, forester: What do these terms mean?

The terms forest, forestry, and forester are fundamentally linked. Definitions have evolved over time in response to changes in knowledge, use, and increased needs for clarity and precision in communication. Thus the terms have had different meanings depending on location, time, and societal use. They should be viewed as a trilogy to ensure that mutually compatible definitions are used-ones coined at the same time that meet comparable scientific, technical, and professional needs. As we communicate across agencies, regions, and nations and share information about the world's forests, the lack of standard definitions means that we should use forest, forestry, and forester with care and use definitions that reflect current knowledge and context.