But that does not mean all useful knowledge will be obtained by looking backwards. Forest Plans, either as they are currently written or amended to incorporate new thought, are the beginning not the end. New Perspectives is a launching pad for a new fresh look at forest management and how people participate in that endeavor. There exists a new congruence between the National Forest System and Forest Service Research. What we have in common directly relates to biological diversity.
Landscape ecology is a fundamental and integral concept.
There is no way we can do our jobs without moving beyond a micro-view of the world. Ecological processes operate on all landscape scales. By definition, larger scale problems cannot be solved without a larger scale look. GIS can help us solve our larger scale problems but it is absolutely critical that we have good data. The information needs of the National Forests and Research are very similar.