bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Municipal Forest Management: A Massachusetts Survey
Authors: More Thomas A.
Published: April 2024

In New England, municipalities control substantial amounts of forestland that could benefit from management. A survey of municipalities in Massachusetts estimated that they administer some 288,000 acres. Many municipal officials are interested in placing their land under forest management, but are not sure how to obtain forestry information. Urban and community forestry programs operated by the states can provide a valuable service to communities, helping municipal officials understand and evaluate forest-management options.
Pruning Guide for Black and White Oaks
Authors: McQuilkin Robert A.
Published: April 2024

Butt logs of black and white oaks in Missouri were pruned with a saw at ages 15, 28, 35, and 51 years. Ten years later, the black oaks treated at 35 and 51 years and the white oaks treated at age 51 had fewer branches that the controls. Pruning at 15 or 28 years was unsuccessful, and pruning with a herbicide proved useless. A political guide is offered.
Fecal Coliform in The Salt River Recreation Areas of Arizona
Authors: Nelson David E. , Hansen William R.
Published: April 2024

Water recreation sites on the Tonto National Forest in Arizona have been monitored for fecal coliform bacteria for 12 years. In spite of high recreational use, fecal coliform populations usually have remained within state water quality standards. On three occasions, the forest implemented temporary closures of a swimming area. Fecal coliform populations have varied widely within short distances and short time periods. It has not been possible to predict fecal coliform levels. Because of the potential for bacteria problems, recreation managers may wish to avoid small coves and stream inlets when selecting sites for swimming areas.
Comparability of Market Prices and Consumer Surplus for Resource Allocation Decisions
Authors: Rosenthal Donald H. , Brown Thomas C.
Published: April 2024

When a consistent theoretical structure is used for assessing the economic worth of different resources, monetary values assigned to nonmarketed outputs from forested lands (such as recreation) are comparable to market prices for marketed outputs. Microeconomic theory is used to determine when consumer surplus should be included as a part of the value assigned to a change in output. The exclusion or inclusion of consumer surplus depends on whether the change being considered is small or large relative to market demand. Combining information about the dollar value of outputs with similar information about costs facilitates economic efficiency analysis for the purpose of resource allocation decisions.
Education to Reduce Impacts in Forest Campgrounds
Authors: Oliver Susan S. , Roggenbuck Joseph W. , Watson Alan E.
Published: April 2024

Distributing a brochure on low-impact camping at the entrance station of a modern forest campground on an Army Corps of Engineers reservoir in Virginia reduced tree damage and litter in campsites by about 50 percent. When the brochure was distributed to campers through personal contact in campsites, the acts decreased by about 80 percent. Requesting camper assistance in rule enforcement did not further decrease tree damage and littering.
The Conservation Ethic
Authors: Leopold Aldo
Published: April 2024

The gradual extension of ethical criteria to economic relationships is an historical fact. Economic criteria did not suffice to adjust men to society; they do not now suffice to adjust society to its environment. If our present evolutionary impetus is an upward one, it is ecologically probable that ethics will eventually be extended to land. The present conservation movement may constitute the beginnings of such an extension. If and when it takes place, it may radically modify what now appear as insuperable economic obstacles to better land-use.
An Improved Canopy Access Technique
Authors: Tucker Gabriel F. , Powell John R.
Published: April 2024

Several canopy access techniques are reviewed including a preferred method that is presented in detail. Included is a description for devising the necessary equipment and step-by-step instruction for its use. The technique was developed for use with sugar maple with a crown base 12 to 16 m above the ground A combination of mountaineering, hunting, and fishing equipment and techniques is employed to propel an initial line into the canopy and rig the tree so that a rope can be ascended. Based on several years of development and testing, the technique is assessed with regard to possible variations and other techniques. The method should be most useful for practitioners and researchers working in the crowns of mature, stand-grown hardwood tree species like those found in the northeastern and midwestern North America.
ICBEMP: Aquatic Species and Habitats
Authors: Lee Danny C. , Sedell James R. , Rieman Bruce E. , Thurow Russell F. , Williams Jack E.
Published: April 2024

Continuing human activities threaten the highly prized aquatic resources of the interior Columbia basin. Precipitous declines in native species, particularly Pacific salmon, and a large influx of introduced species have radically altered the composition and distribution of native fishes. Fortunately, areas of relatively high aquatic integrity remain, much of it on federally administered lands. These areas can provide a starting point for protecting and restoring aquatic resources throughout the basin if decisive action is taken.
ICBEMP: Using an Ecoregion Assessment for Integrated Policy Analysis
Authors: Quigley Thomas M. , Haynes Richard W. , Hann Wendel J. , Lee Danny C. , Holthausen Richard S. , Gravenmier Rebecca A.
Published: April 2024

In broad terms, managing an ecosystem means maintaining both the integrity of ecological systems and the resilience of social and economic systems. Ratings of ecological integrity and socioeconomic resilience are combined to make general statements about ecosystem conditions in the interior Columbia basin. Risks to integrity and resilience arise from many sources, both natural and human-caused, and reducing risks in one component may increase risks to another. Three management alternatives--maintaining current practices, restoring with active management, and setting up reserves--present different opportunities to manage the risks inherent in biophysical and social systems and meet ecosystem management goals.
Public Comment on the ICBEMP Process
Authors: Humphrey Cathy , Perez Jerry , Sutton Jody
Published: April 2024

More than 83,000 citizens and interested parties heeded the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project's call for public comment; the content of their letters has been compiled by analysts not involved in the project itself. For every issue raised there were both proponents and critics. Nevertheless, the ICBEMP scientists will seek to incorporate the information and opinions in the final environmental impact statements due next year.
Agroforestry at the University of Missouri
Authors: Hodge Sandra S. , Garrett H. E.
Published: April 2024

Biophysical research at the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry focuses on insect populations, interactions between trees and crops or livestock, and flowering physiology and fruit production. Research in the social dimensions covers the economics of agroforestry as well as willingness to adopt the practices. Information is disseminated through the technology transfer component.
Bermuda: Island Paradise, Ecological Disaster
Authors: Walker Laurence C.
Published: April 2024

Exploitation, escape of introduced exotic species, and insect epidemics have combined to cause the loss of valued Juniperus bermudiana stands on the Atlantic islands. The inability to reestablish stands of the internationally classified endangered species because of social constraints has also altered the island biome. Taxonomic confusion, the symbiotic role of earthworms and "cedars," and the calciphilous nature of junipers are discussed.
A New Natural Resources Degree for a New Century
Authors: Jensen Edward C. , Doescher Paul S. , Shelby Bo
Published: April 2024

Oregon State University is offering a new interdisciplinary undergraduate degree in natural resources. The degree, which emphasizes the skills and knowledge that students need to manage natural resources, crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries and value systems. The rationale behind the new program is described, as well as the degree requirements and challenges associated with the new degree, including employability, advising depth of content, and the special concerns of students, professors, and administrators.
Working with the Human Element in Sustainability Programs
Authors: Martinson Kristen
Published: April 2024

Sustainable forest management depends in part on the social dynamics of local forest communities. An evaluation of an assistance program to help communities reach sustainability goals found that the prerequisites for success were strong local leadership, public support, timing, and a focused program.
Ecosystem Management: Capturing the Concept for Woodland Owners
Authors: Rickenbach Mark G. , Kittredge David B. , Dennis Don , Stevens Tom
Published: April 2024

How nonindustrial private forests are managed is crucial in ecosystems where NIPF ownen control most of the land, but ecosystem management is complex. A survey of landowners indicates, however, that most are already predisposed to its basic principles: they understand that their actions affect land elsewhere, they value the components of the landscape, and they want to leave a healthy forest for the next generation. Framing ecosystem-based approaches within those three areas may help foresters work with NIPF owners.
Landscape Management through Integration of Existing Tools and Emerging Technologies
Authors: McCarter James B. , Wilson Jeremy S. , Baker Patrick J. , Moffett Jeffrey L. , Oliver Chadwick D.
Published: April 2024

A landscape approach to forest management must consider the implications of alternative scenarios across stands and through time. The Landscape Management System, a computer program, facilitates implementation of this approach by integrating forest inventories, spatial information, growth models, visualization, summarization, and analysis. A case study with three scenarios--no harvest, clearcut, and thinning--exposes the complex tradeoffs inherent in forest management and highlights the need for comparative analysis tools.
Forestry Operations in the Next Century: A Canadian Perspective
Authors: Guimier Daniel Y.
Published: April 2024

An analysis of technical, social, and economic trends helps predict how forestry operations can meet future demands while remaining profitable. Among the findings: herbicides and pesticides will be phased out; silvicultural systems will encourage the natural evolution of the forest; machines will be equipped with vision, intelligence, and navigation systems; and increasingly sophisticated decision-support tools will optimize forestry operations within environmental and social parameters. Such technology will allow workers to concentrate on making strategic decisions rather than on performing routine tasks.
Techniques for Visualizing the Appearance of Forestry Operations
Authors: McGaughey Robert J.
Published: April 2024

Properly used, computer visualizations are powerful tools for educating people about forestry operations and comparing management alternatives. Four techniques are suitable for depicting the results of timber harvests: geometric modeling, video imaging, a hybrid combining geometric modeling and video imaging, and image draping. Which is most appropriate depends on its intended use. Criteria for selecting the best technique are the size of the project area, the goal of the visualization, the level of detail that must be shown, and the data available for describing the area.
Leaf Area Allocation: How Does It Work?
Authors: O'Hara Kevin L.
Published: April 2024

To implement multiaged systems, managers need a flexible way to allocate growing space among age classes. A three-aged ponderosa pine structure in western Montana exemplifies a leaf area allocation approach. Given a description of a stand structure, the model predicts average diameters, stand density parameters, and volume increment for each stand component and for the total stand.
The Right to Practice Forestry: Laws Restricting Nuisance Suits and Municipal Ordinances
Authors: Malmsheimer Robert W. , Floyd Donald W.
Published: April 2024

Forest landowners, like farmers, have been subjected to nuisance lawsuits and local ordinances regulating their activities. Two types of right-to-practice-forestry laws offer varying degrees of protection: those that provide a defense against nuisance lawsuits, and those that restrict the ability of local governments to regulate forestry activities. Such laws are becoming more prevalent, but once they are enacted, only legislators can redefine legal and illegal forestry activities. State lawmakers, not foresters, are thus determining the management options of forest landowners.
What Managers Are Saying -- and Doing -- about Wilderness Experience Programs
Authors: Gager Dan , Hendee John C. , Kinziger Mike , Krumpe Ed
Published: April 2024

A survey of wilderness managers in federal agencies revealed concerns about the impacts of wilderness experience programs, whose participants seek personal growth, therapy, or education through wilderness activity. Some managers call for more restrictive policies, but many believe more cooperation between program leaders and agency managers can resolve the problems. Better understanding of this growing use of wilderness will help agencies work with programs to reduce ecological impact on the land and conflicts among users.
Integrating Disciplines in an Undergraduate Curriculum
Authors: Ginger Clare , Wang Deane , Tritton Louise
Published: April 2024

Given the cross-disciplinary nature of natural resource management, integrating fields of knowledge in natural resource curricula has become an important challenge for universities. We developed three models for integrating ecological and social science courses. The models varied in the degree to which they achieved integration in process, disciplinary content, methods of analysis, and relationship of integration to disciplinary distinctions. They were implemented sequentially, and course structure, pedagogy, and content were altered to emphasize particular aspects of integration and respond to students' comments and administrative concerns.
Regulation and Stumpage Prices: A Tale of Two States
Authors: Kittredge David B. , Rickenbach Mark G. , Broderick Stephen H.
Published: April 2024

Conventional wisdom suggests that the regulation of timber harvesting adds expense to the process, thereby reducing profitability, and that landowners would bear the resulting cost of this regulation through reduced stumpage values. This study compared more than five years of quarterly stumpage prices in Massachusetts, a state with comprehensive statewide forest cutting practices regulations, with prices in Connecticut, a similar and adjacent state with no such regulations. The results suggest that the Massachusetts regulations do not adversely affect stumpage prices and landowner profit from the sale of timber.
Ecosystem Management and Public Participation: Lessons from the Field
Authors: Smith Patrick D. , McDonough Maureen H. , Mang Michael T.
Published: April 2024

This study explores the public participation component of the Northern Lower Michigan Ecosystem Management Project. The study was conducted to determine the perceptions of natural resource professionals about public participation and document how those perceptions change over time as a result of a nontraditional, focus group--based model of public participation. The professionals' perceptions were then compared with public perceptions about public participation processes. The results suggest that the new approaches to public participation embodied in ecosystem management are more consistent with public desires than are traditional methods, but improvements are still possible.
Community-Based Forest Management in the Philippines
Authors: Johnson Todd R.
Published: April 2024

Some of the most severely degraded forests of the Philippines are being restored by local community groups whose members are new-comers to forestry. As stakeholders, they are developing their own criteria and indicators for evaluating the environmental and social consequences of their field practices, with the technical assistance of the Philippine natural resources agency and other advisers. Eventually, those homegrown criteria may be used for external assessments by international certifying organizations. Although establishing criteria and indicators cannot guarantee sustainable forest management, initial results indicate that they can prevent field practices from further degrading the country's forest ecosystems and forest-dependent communities.
Four Decades of Forest Science
Authors: Stier Jeffrey C. , Orlemann Andrew , Steele Thomas W.
Published: April 2024

Forest Science was launched in 1955. Publication patterns reveal that most authors have been affiliated with US universities and most papers have been in the area of forest ecology, mensuration, and forest biology. During the 1970s and 1980s there was a trend toward longer papers and more authors per paper; in 1994 the first trend reversed but not the second. Forest Science is well respected as one of, if not the leading scientific outlet for forestry publications. But the advent of related journals and increasing specialization of fields could change its publication patterns.
The Religion of Forestry: Scientific Management
Authors: Nelson Robert H.
Published: April 2024

The guiding philosophy of the USDA Forest Service in the 20th century has been scientific management. Due in part to many failures of scientific management, and also to basic shifts in American values, this philosophy is no longer appropriate. The Forest Service is left without any clear role. Ecosystem management is an awkward compromise that is not likely to solve the problem. If the agency cannot define a clearer and more widely accepted mission to guide its efforts, its future existence will be in doubt.
Scenario Planning: Wading Into the Real World
Authors: Dewhurst Stephen M. , Kessler Winifred B.
Published: April 2024

An innovative approach used at the University of Northern British Columbia helps develop the "target qualities" (Kessler 1999) of graduates in natural resources management. Scenario planning is used to engage students in projects that represent the complexity and peculiarities of natural resources management in British Columbia today. Although it is not a panacea, scenario planning does promote the development of the skills, knowledge, and perspectives required to address complex problems.
Adopting an Annual Inventory System: User Perspectives
Authors: Van Deusen Paul C. , Prisley Stephen P. , Lucier Alan A.
Published: April 2024

The nation's Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program is moving from a periodic to an annual forest inventory system. The annual system will better meet the increasing demand for current information and is backed by legislative mandate in the 1998 Farm Bill. For the annual system to succeed, FIA will need increased state-level participation, internal changes in emphasis, and greater use of technology. FIA personnel should be proud of the public support that led to this opportunity and respond quickly and decisively to a clear mandate for change.
High Expectations, Unexpected Benefits: What Managers and Owners Think of Certification
Authors: Hayward Jeffrey , Vertinsky Ilan
Published: April 2024

Interviews were conducted to determine the motives and record the experiences of US forest owners and managers whose forests were certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Nonindustrial private forest owners sought certification largely out of a commitment to forest stewardship; they consider the cost of meeting contract conditions part of the normal business of improving their practices. Industrial private, public, and professional resource managers expected a price premium for certified wood. Although higher profits haven't been realized, many of those surveyed said the certification process let them examine their practices without the political calculations that debates on forestry often trigger.
Will Consumers Pay More for Certified Wood Products?
Authors: Forsyth Keith , Haley David , Kozak Robert
Published: April 2024

Insight into customers' attitudes toward certified wood products can help gauge whether a viable market exists. When buying wood products, people in our sample--300 customers in the British Columbia home improvement market--shop first for quality and then for price. Although environmental attributes, including certification, are less important than many other criteria that consumers consider, some say that they are willing to pay a premium for certified wood products; whether they would actually do so is another question. Cluster analysis provides a profile of the consumers who might be likely to purchase certified wood products.
Mushrooms and Timber: Managing Commercial Harvesting in the Oregon Cascades
Authors: Pilz David , Smith Jerry , Amaranthus Michael P. , Alexander Susan , Molina Randy , Luoma Daniel
Published: April 2024

American matsutake (Tricholoma magnivelare), which are harvested from Forest Service lands in the southern Oregon Cascade Range, provide commercial, recreational, subsistence, and cultural opportunities to forest users. The Winema and Deschutes National Forests have used collection permits and educational programs to address concerns about harvesters activities and resource sustainability. Research on matsutake productivity shows that silvicultural options may reduce fire danger and provide revenue, jobs, and wood while improving forest health and increasing the availability of the mushrooms. Thus forest managers can expand their planning and management activities to enhance the commercial value of forests.
State Forestry Agencies and Biodiversity Programs: Who's Responsible for Conserving Forest Biodiversity?
Authors: Zumeta David C. , Ellefson Paul V.
Published: April 2024

State natural resource agencies often have primary responsibility for conserving forest biodiversity. Little is known, however, about the appropriate organizational location for biodiversity programs in state government, suitable levels of financial and professional investment in such programs, useful strategies for coordinating programs located in different administrative settings, and the effectiveness of biodiversity programs. A survey of forestry agency and biodiversity program administrators in all 50 states provides useful insights about how state agencies might effectively administer and organize programs to conserve forest biodiversity. Direct contact between staffs is essential.
Coarse Woody Debris in Riparian Zones: Opportunity for Interdisciplinary Interaction
Authors: Bragg Don C. , Kershner Jeffrey L.
Published: April 2024

In managing coarse woody debris, foresters, fishery biologists, wildlife managers, gemorphologists, recreation specialists, and policy personnel have many opportunities to coordinate watershed planning, cooperatively utilize natural patterns and processes, and improve socioecological systems. Past (and even present) management of riparian debris has been inconsistent. But a growing body of biophysical evidence, coupled with growing acceptance of ecosystem management on public lands, gives hope that together we can sustain this vital component of ecosystem integrity.
Mission Impossible
Authors: Sedjo Roger A.
Published: April 2024

A member of the Committee of Scientists sees in its report a new mandate for the Forest Service--a mission that conflicts with existing statutory objectives. If such a change is warranted, he argues, it should reflect the judgment of the American people rather than the values of the appointed scientists. In any case, he believes, without basic reform of the budget process, the planning process recommended by the committee will do little to improve the outcome. And the chance that Congress will fully fund implementation of the committee's proposals is remote.
Distributing GIS Capabilities to Forestry Field Offices: Benefits and Challenges
Authors: Bettinger Pete
Published: April 2024

Distributing the analytical and map production capabilities of a geographic information system (GIS) to field offices benefits staff in many ways, including facilitating more informed and timely management decisions. Forest management organizations may encounter problems in shifting GIS functions from a central office to field offices, however. Success depends on the readiness of field office staff, the extent of database availability, access to the necessary technology (hardware and software), and degree of organizational commitment to the distributed-GIS approach.
The New Owners of Small Private Forests in Ireland
Authors: Dhubhain Aine Ni , Wall Sarah
Published: April 2024

Private forestry has expanded rapidly in Ireland during the past two decades. Much of the increase in planting is by first-time nonindustrial private forest owners. Little is known about these new investors in forestry and even less about the kind of management being undertaken in the new private plantations. A study examines how Irish owners manage their forests and what sources of forestry information they prefer. One finding: the majority rely on management companies for afforestation yet intend to carry out operations themselves once the management contract expires. Most of these forest owners have no tradition, experience, or knowledge of woodland management.
Elevated Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere: What Might It Mean for Loblolly Pine Plantation Forestry?
Authors: Groninger John W. , Johnsen Kurt H. , Seiler John R. , Will Rodney E. , Ellsworth David S. , Maier Chris A.
Published: April 2024

Research with Loblolly pine suggests that projected increases in atmospheric CO2 concentration will accelerate early growth and could result in shorter rotation length, reduced time until first commercial thinning, higher optimal planting density, and possibly higher maximum stocking level in managed stands. We discuss some of the physiological processes and stand dynamics that underlie these changes, as well as silvicultural strategies that may serve to ensure sustainability of intensively managed forest systems in the face of increasing CO2 and possible climate change.
Predicting Sedimentation from Forest Roads
Authors: Elliot William J. , Hall David E. , Graves Susan R.
Published: April 2024

The water erosion prediction project (WEPP) model was run to predict sedimentation from forest roads for more than 50,000 combinations of distance between cross drains, road gradient, soil texture, distance from stream, steepness of the buffer between the road and the stream, and climate. The results of these WEPP runs can be viewed through computer interfaces developed for both Windows and the Internet. They offer natural resource managers a way to estimate road sediment yields quickly for a wide range of conditions. The programs are fast, simple to use, and a significant improvement over most current methods that estimate road sediment yields to streams.
The Public Debate about Roads on the National Forests: An Analysis of the News Media, 1994-98
Authors: Bengston David N. , Fan David P.
Published: April 2024

Computer methods were used to analyze attitudes and beliefs expressed in a large database of news stories about roads on the US national forests. The view that forest roads are important for recreational use and access was expressed most frequently followed by the belief that roads cause environmental damage. Analyzing the debate about forest roads as it is reflected in the news media is one way to monitor the changing Context in which forest management decisions and policies need to be made.
Restroration Ecology
Authors: Wagner M.R. , Block W.M. , Geils B.W. , Wenger K.F.
Published: April 2024

Focusing on the Southwest but raising questions that are more broadly applicable, we compare ecological restoration with conventional management regimes—multiple-use management, ecosystem management, and managing for specific resource objectives. That restoration assumes a holistic perspective and active intervention does not distinguish it from other approaches to achieving ecosystem health. We find that foresters and restorationists both use ecology, but restorationists use a reference condition as a substitute for specific objectives We believe that restorationists who advocate substituting a reference condition for meeting a priori objectives must demonstrate the advantage of this approach. We identify the conceptual limitations to ecological restoration and question the uses of restoration.
Learning by Doing
Authors: Covington W.W. , Fulé P.Z. , Alcoze T.M. , Vance R.K.
Published: April 2024

In the Southwest, where forest ecosystems have been widely degraded, Northern Arizona University has begun offering an interdisciplinary focus on forest restoration. A course in the principles of restoration addresses such issues as reference conditions, the impact of indigenous peoples on the landscape, and natural variability versus accelerated anthropogenic change. An applications course includes hands-on experience in restoring a ponderosa pine forest and calculating the costs of implementation. Through practical study and applied research, the program is intended to support the preparation of future participants in a growing field.
Aldo Leopold's Land Ethic: Is It Only Half a Loaf?
Authors: MacCleery D.W.
Published: April 2024

If one accepts the extension of ethics to the management of land, it would seem to be a relatively minor leap of logic to accept the idea that one's consumption choices—which also affect land—have an ethical content as well.
Unalaska, Alaska: Revisiting North America's Oldest Afforestation Effort
Authors: LaBau V.J. , Alden J.N.
Published: April 2024

The first North American attempt to grow a stand in a treeless area was an 1805 Russian planting of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) in Unalaska Bay in the Aleutian Islands. Although the Russians envisioned a future timber supply for fur traders and other settlers, the trees grew slowly, regeneration was absent until after 1950, and over the years many trees died. Several other afforestation efforts have been made in the area, but because the challenges of latitude and climate dictate careful selection of seedlings and site, results have been mixed. Today the 1805 planting, with its three surviving trees and their offspring, is a national historic landmark.
The Pivotal Decade: American Forestry in the 1870s
Authors: Miller C.
Published: April 2024

In the late 19th century timber companies were cutting their way west, fueling the Industrial Revolution with America's forests and leaving behind vast tracts of cutover land in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest. In Prussia and France, forest advocates found national forestry schools and examples of legislation to regulate resource exploitation. Although Marsh, Hough, and Baker lamented their inability to effect large-scale change, their efforts did lead to federal recognition of the problems associated with uncontrolled timber harvests and thus paved the way for the second generation of forestry leaders.
Landscape-Level Management: It's All about Context
Authors: Shindler B.
Published: April 2024

Forest managers and researchers are now working at a landscape level, but is our public with us? For most people, landscape-level management is not a clear concept.To better understand how citizens view landscapes, we need to go beyond attempts to “educate the public” and instead interact with citizens to promote learning, find appropriate outreach activities and simulation techniques, and directly address questions about risk and uncertainty. Various scales of analysis will be necessary, including the geographic, temporal, and normative contexts and their relevance to citizens.
Public Perceptions of Clearcutting
Authors: Bliss J.C.
Published: April 2024

Despite widespread opposition to clearcutting, even among forestland owners, some foresters continue to think that lack of understanding is the source of public disapproval. To American citizens today, the forest is not just a fiber factory, to be manipulated to produce wood products for human consumption in an efficient and rational way, and trees are not just a crop. Now that the forest is no longer the exclusive domain of professional foresters, forest practices will not be acceptable unless they are compatible with prevailing beliefs and values—and until public trust in forestry is restored.
Blight Control and Restoration of the American Chestnut
Authors: Griffin Gary J.
Published: April 2024

Efforts to restore the American chestnut focus on natural blight resistance found in a few surviving trees of the species in the natural range, strains of the blight fungus with reduced virulence (hypovirulence), and introduction of Asian chestnut blight resistance into American chestnut. These approaches may be used alone or in combination. Also critical are site selection and other forest management practices.
The Exurbanization of America's Forests: Research in Rural Social Science
Authors: Egan Andrew F. , Luloff A. E.
Published: April 2024

Exurbanization, or the migration of urban residents to rural environments, has increased greatly over the past two decades, often motivated by perceptions of an improved quality of life in rural locations. The effects of sudden population changes on forestry can be significant, affecting local forest-based economies and social structures, attitudes about forest management practices, and ultimately forest policies. Research in the rural social sciences is helping elucidate the effects of this phenomenon and provide guidance for future research.
Credentialing and Accreditation Programs: Taking the Forestry Profession to the Next Level
Authors: Block Nadine E.
Published: April 2024

A number of mechanisms exist within the forestry profession to identify individuals or programs that meet a set of standards. The Society of American Foresters' accreditation and Certified Forester ® program and state-sponsored registration and licensing are all intended to promote competency among forest practitioners, with varying degrees of effectiveness in reassuring the public and in influencing forestry education. Credentialing of individuals may serve as a valuable link between the profession and the public, but it is unlikely to raise the bar for professional forestry education.
Institutional Reform in Albania: Making Forest-Based Policies Work
Authors: Naka Kozma , Hammett A. L. , Stuart William B.
Published: April 2024

In response to such problems as illegal timber harvesting and overgrazing, policymakers in Albania are making efforts to increase the efficiency of the country's forest and pasture administration. Reforms include decentralization, development of infrastructure and human resources, and the introduction of a forestry extension service. The authors explore several options and posit that it is more appropriate to work with existing establishments and build partnerships among stakeholders than to create new organizations.
From Pixels to Decisions: Digital Remote Sensing Technologies for Public Land Managers
Authors: Lachowski Henry , Maus Paul , Roller Norm
Published: April 2024

Information derived from remote sensing assists in describing locations and relationships among land cover types and ecological processes. To be useful to resource managers in all land management agencies, the data need to be acquired and maintained according to high standards of accuracy and consistency, and our forestry schools must produce the skilled personnel who can take advantage of these techniques. One important use: helping the public participate in the planning process by enabling citizens to visualize the management alternatives being proposed for a particular area.
The Earth Observing System and Forest Management
Authors: Running Steven W. , Queen Lloyd , Thornton Michele
Published: April 2024

Inexpensive, readily available, and frequently updated: These are the important characteristics of biophysical data coming from the first satellite launched as part of the Earth Observing System. For forest managers, the data can help detect and monitor fires, determine seasonal and annual productivity across ownerships, even estimate national carbon balances for environmental policy plans. Although the variables do not distinguish all forest cover types, processing modifications will soon allow more detailed calculations.
Philosophical, Professional, and Environmental Ethics An Overview for Foresters
Authors: Forbes William , Lindquist Christopher
Published: April 2024

A discussion about ethics for professional foresters can begin with the philosophical foundations. Ethics has a long tradition in philosophy, and many philosophers have addressed the subject in general and as it relates specifically to professionals and to the environment. A comprehensive system of ethical rules is elusive, however; professionals must recognize the case-specific context of ethical decisions and gain experience in making good ethical decisions. Of special interest to foresters are the role of ethics and social groups in influencing objectivity of science, and the inclusion of nonutilitarian values in nature.
Forest Restoration in Southwestern Ponderosa Pine
Authors: Lynch Dennis L. , Romme William H. , Floyd M. Lisa
Published: April 2024

A field study on the San Juan National Forest focused first on restoring degraded ponderosa pine forests to ecological integrity and potential productivity, and second on maximizing returns from harvesting. Results show that if landscape-scale forest restoration has a future, sale design is critical. Managers who combine financially strong and weak units, design sales to reduce logging and prescribed burning costs, and take advantage of the fluctuating market for small material can achieve both ecological and financial objectives.
Restructuring the Forest: Goshawks and the Restoration of Southwestern Ponderosa Pine
Authors: Long James N. , Smith Frederick W.
Published: April 2024

With adoption of the "goshawk guidelines" in 1996, the Southwest Region of the USDA Forest Service has embarked on an ambitious effort to restore southwestern ponderosa pine forests. The objective is a multiscale mosaic of age and structural classes under an uneven-aged silvicultural system intended to approximate the composition, structure, and landscape patterns of southwestern ponderosa pine forests before there were fundamental changes in natural disturbance regimes. Implementation will require innovative silvicultural approaches to create appropriate forest structures at various spatial levels well into the future.
Native Knowledge for Native Ecosystems
Authors: Kimmerer Robin Wall
Published: April 2024

In an effort to restore forest health and diversity, federal agencies are calling for management practices directed toward a "return to the presettlement equilibrium." Restoring forests to that presettlement structure and function is not possible without also understanding the relationship between the indigenous inhabitants and the land. Indigenous knowledge systems have much to offer in the contemporary development of forest restoration. Traditional knowledge is particularly useful in identifying reference ecosystems and in illuminating cultural ties to the land. Although Native peoples' traditional knowledge of the land differs from scientific knowledge, both have strengths that suggest the value of a partnership between them.
Latin American Forest Plantations: Opportunities for Carbon Sequestration, Economic Development, and Financial Returns
Authors: Wright J.A. , DiNicola A. , Gaitan E.
Published: April 2024

Forest plantations in Latin America can help sequester the carbon dioxide produced in more-developed regions. Industrial emitters of carbon in developed countries would pay for this service through the Kyoto Protocol policy framework. Latin America offers rapid forest growth rates, past success in implementing large-scale plantations, and low costs for land and labor. Constraints in Latin America are land-tenure issues, limited funds for long-term forest projects, and difficulties in maintaining access to world markets for the export of forest products. But increased investment for forest plantations in Latin America would bring economic development and reduce pressure on native forests, while providing forest products and sequestering greenhouse gases.
Nonprofits in Forestry: Lessons from Three New England States
Authors: Foster C.H.W.
Published: April 2024

The nonprofit organization, a concept brought to the New World by European settlers, has thrived in the United States, nowhere more so than in New England. Forestry nonprofits have performed significant service in New England for more than a century, providing supplementary resources, creating innovative programs, mustering political support, and taking risks. Especially important is their ability to connect government with the public it serves. Those who work elsewhere in the country in natural resources–whether in the for-profit, nonprofit, or public sector–can look to New England programs for ideas and inspiration.
Management Dilemmas That Will Shape Wilderness in the 21st Century
Authors: Cole D.N.
Published: April 2024

How we resolve two management dilemmas will determine the future nature and value of wilderness. The first dilemma is providing for use and enjoyment while protecting wilderness conditions. The second is whether wilderness ecosystems should be left wild and “untrammeled” or, paradoxically, be manipulated toward a more natural state. Alternative solutions are explored. Because compromises between value systems will tend to homogenize wilderness areas, such that no area will fully meet any goal, we should consider allocating separate lands to each goal. Expanding our conception of wilderness will help us develop a diverse system that satisfies multiple needs.
Bringing Fire Back: The Changing Regimes of the Appalachian Mixed-Oak Forests
Authors: Brose P. , Schuler T. , van Lear D. , Berst J.
Published: April 2024

Since vegetative associations stabilized about 4,000 years ago, the Appalachian mixed-oak forests have experienced three profoundly different fire regimes. Periodic, low-intensity surface fires lit by American Indians characterized the first regime, and this regime helped perpetuate oak as one of the dominant species groups. The Industrial Revolution led to high-intensity, stand-replacing fires, causing extensive damage to the forests. Modern fire protection created a “no-fire” regime that permitted the forests to recover but allowed mesophytic species to begin replacing the oaks. Today, research is under way to identify how to reintroduce fire to solve this oak replacement problem.
Refinancing and Restructuring Federal Fire Management
Authors: Hesseln H.
Published: April 2024

Changes in fire-dependent ecosystems, fuel accumulations, and an ever-increasing population in the wildland-urban interface have increased fire management complexity and expenditures. To manage wildland fire more efficiently, this article suggests developing a national fire organization, reallocating budgets, and using private markets to finance emergency firefighting expenditures. By tapping the private capital market, federal agencies could reallocate current spending and firefighting activities, while hedging against the risk of loss in severe fire years.
Hot Tips: Fire Information at Your Fingertips
Authors: Vodak M.
Published: April 2024

A wealth of information on wildfire is readily accessible for forest and resource managers to share with clients and public groups.…
Commentary: Looking Forward
Authors: Heissenbuttel J.
Published: April 2024

I believe all SAF members and the vast majority of those involved in environmental causes are for maintaining and improving the environment while producing the products needed by our nation and the world.
Book Review: The Forests Handbook
Authors: Helms J.A.
Published: April 2024

The Forests Handbook, edited by Julian Evans, is an interesting and informative collection of essays on the science and management of the world's forests. But is it a handbook?
Forest Sustainability: A Discussion Guide for Professional Resource Managers
Authors: Floyd D.W. , Vonhof S.L. , Seyfang H.E.
Published: April 2024

The concept of sustainability is sometimes elusive, but an examination of the etymology of the word and the history of its application in forest management helps pin it down. Sustainability becomes a concern when a growing human population begins to deplete resources beyond expected rates of renewal. As used today in forest management, the term means maintaining the forest for a long time, showing concern for the well-being of future generations, making reasonable estimates of future needs, knowing current rates of resource use and regeneration, and reaching consensus on appropriate levels of resource use. Six case studies, which may or may not address all those elements, are offered as a starting point for discussion, and an annotated bibliography opens avenues for further study.
Meeting Global Policy Commitments: Carbon Sequestration and Southern Pine Forests
Authors: Johnsen K.H. , Wear D. , Oren R. , Teskey R.O. , Sanchez F. , Will R. , Butnor J. , Markewitz D. , Richter D. , Rials T. , Allen H.L. , Seiler J. , Ellsworth D. , Maier C. , Katul G. , Dougherty P.M.
Published: April 2024

In managed forests, the amount of carbon further sequestered will be determined by (1) the increased amount of carbon in standing biomass (resulting from land-use changes and increased productivity); (2) the amount of recalcitrant carbon remaining below ground at the end of rotations; and (3) the amount of carbon sequestered in products created from harvested wood. Because of the region's high productivity and industrial infrastructure, carbon sequestration via southern pine forests could be increased, and this may benefit the nation in terms of global policy commitments.
Book Review: Northwest Lands, Northwest Peoples: Readings in Environmental History
Authors: Miller C.
Published: April 2024

Northwest Lands, Northwest Peoples: Readings in Environmental History, edited by Dale D. Goble and Paul W. Hirt, contains some of the finest environmental analyses of the Pacific Northwest yet published. Those who live in or are curious about the region must read this anthology.
Perspective: Foresters and the Four Cs of Journalism
Authors: Donati E.L.
Published: April 2024

If you want the media to report forestry issues in an informed and thoughtful way, you need to go one step further in shaping your interactions with journalists. You need to understand how journalists behave and why—the anthropology of journalism.…
Perspective: Thinking Globally, Acting Locally
Authors: Johnson M.
Published: April 2024

This title is a cliché often thrown around somewhat carelessly and, I fear, sometimes thoughtlessly. What does it mean for you personally, for your employer, or for the forestlands of our nation? With the good intention of ensuring sustainability, we often tiptoe through our harvesting plan, removing only a few years' worth of growth in an overcrowded forest.…
FIAMODEL: A New Link for Geographic Analyses of Inventory Data
Authors: Reed D. , Pregitzer K. , Pugh S. , Miles P.
Published: April 2024

The USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data are widely used throughout the United States for analyses of forest status and trends, landscape-level forest composition, and other forest characteristics. A new software product, FIAMODEL, is available for analyzing FIA data within the ArcView® (ESRI, Inc.) geographic information system. The software allows linkages with other natural resource information, such as watershed boundaries or soil maps, in a format widely used by natural resource organizations, which allows organizations to analyze FIA data in a spatial context with little new investment in hardware or training.