Abstract The dominance of the economic view in the codification of "forestry plans" in Iran with the focus on wood as the main product and the management structure has focused solely on habitats capable of producing wood. This article critiques the current definitions, a one-sided function of forestry in Iran, and its impacts on forests. Along with it, a new definition of forestry is presented, in which the ecological view predominates the economic perspective. The present study is analytical-descriptive and obtained through literature review, expert sessions, and practical experiences of current forestry in Iran. According to the results, Iran's forest management needs "ecological forestry" projects instead of "economic forestry," in which forests are not supposed to be only wood mines. In contrast, all functions and services of forest ecosystem services are regarded as valuable. With this change, not only economic wood forests but all forests in Iran have their special place to be considered in the management plans. Also, "forestry engineering" is not in charge of forest affairs alone, and forests need to be handled with interdisciplinary projects and experts from different fields.