The “new forestry”

Excerpt

Current debate over the fate of remaining old-growth forests focuses almost exclusively on deciding how many acres should be devoted to commodity production and to preservation.

Presumably, commodity land would be managed intensively for high timber yields. Preserved land would be withdrawn from timber harvest. Interested parties apparently feel their objectives can be achieved only with such an exclusive division of land. Commodity production and preservation of ecological values are assumed incompatible. Unfortunately, we foresters have not provided convincing evidence to the contrary.

Limiting the debate in this way is unfortunate. Society needs commodities from forest land. Society also wants and needs amenities and ecological values maintained. Many people also want long-term rather than short-term perspectives in resource stewardship emphasized and more options in the face of future uncertainties, such as potential global climatic change.

Are there alternatives to the stark choice between tree farms and legal preservation? I believe ecological research is providing us with the basis for such alternatives. We have begun to understand the complexity of forest ecosystems. For example, standing dead trees and down logs contribute to the long-term productivity of forests and streams and provide critical wildlife habitat.

Landscape ecology reveals …