The management philosophy advocated by many public agencies today has become known as “ecosystem management.” Under this philosophy, maintenance of ecosystem structure and functions becomes the primary goal, while production of commodities and services is viewed as a useful byproduct. However, any effort to assure sustainability and health of American forests can be expected to succeed only if private ownerships, which comprise the majority of forest land, are included. Following this reasoning, it becomes immediately obvious that for realistic application of ecological principles to forest management on private ownerships, the owners ‘ goals and management objectives must be kept in the forefront. This publication is aimed at natural resource professionals who prepare forest management plans for private landowners. However, the ecological concepts presented apply to all ownerships.

From the US Forest Service Northeast Region

News notes are courtesy of Southern Forests Network News Notes
www.southernsustainableforests.org