In forests where fire was the dominant disturbance factor, its removal or suppression allows areas to grow thick with small trees and brush, changing species composition, and replacing savanna, open, and understory structures with dense structures. Species that depend on open conditions or fire disturbances may be replaced by species adapted to surviving in the shaded conditions of the dense stands, and total diversity will drop since dense forests have the fewest species in most cases. Satellite images of some of America's most remote wilderness areas now show unusually large areas of uniform forest structural conditions. The associated risk is that a forest formerly disturbed in relatively small patches will become uniformly disturbed over relatively large areas. Species that, in the past, survived disturbances by moving from patch to patch to find suitable habitat may not be able to move the greater distances required by a widespread disturbance.
Forest protection is, of course, forest management.
The results, however, are much the same. Non-management may also create large areas of dense structure. Without natural fire as a periodic disturbance, and with owners who lack an economic incentive to carry out silvicultural treatments like thinning or prescribed fire, these areas can become dominated by dense structures and lack the diversity that could help shield them from future large-area problems. Another important aspect of forest management is the regulation of wildlife populations. Where some wildlife species have been introduced intentionally for sport others have been eradicated to prevent damage.