Forests exist in many structures based on growth, disturbances, and human manipulations. Sustained timber yields were a forerunner to sustainable development. A modification in which all stand structures are maintained across a landscape gives the greatest promise for providing the most commodity and non-commodity values sustainably. Silviculture, the tending of forests, has gained centuries of knowledge. Silviculture has been categorized into “systems,” but is now being separated into “pathways” and “operations.” Silviculture pathways are changes in stand structures resulting from growth and specific manipulations. The specific manipulations are “operations” and include protection, restoration, tree removal, site preparation, regeneration and genetic improvement, and timber stand improvement. Maintaining all structures and timber flow sustainably across a landscape is more feasible than trying to manage each stand through selective harvesting; and computer models are aiding People have cleared 11% of the land that would otherwise be forests. People are harvesting only 20% of the wood that grows annually, with the remaining growth either rotting, burning, or making forests more crowded. Forest area and volume is generally increasing in more developed world, but declining elsewhere. Most wood harvested in the developing world is used for subsistence fuel wood, while developed countries use most for construction timber and paper. Most forest volume is in North America, Russia, Brazil, and central Africa. Most forests contain native species, and so reflect their Floristic Realms. Conifers are native almost exclusively to the Holarctic Realm. Countries vary greatly in forest ownership. Despite excess wood growth, intensive plantations are grown, but not always profitable. In addition to low harvest, dangers of crowded stands burning, and poor distributions of stand structures, forests employ a very small part of the world’s workforce. Opportunities exist to make forest management for biodiversity and other commodity and non-commodity values a social driver by employing technically skilled people to restore the forest structures.