For instance, if society's level of value for non-commodities is not very high, then it doesn't take much to make the statement true. Forty years ago most of society did not place the same level of value on non-commodities as today. Today's society is relatively affluent, well educated and politically astute. The forest patterns they see represent a loss of a forest heritage which they value highly. Society is becoming increasingly aware that nature works as a whole rather than in pieces, and it assigns a higher level of value to the forest, not just the trees which are part of the forest.
More attention is desired for aesthetics, recreation, wildlife and the like.
So, management objectives, on public lands at least, must result in a different emphasis in the mix of values. Of course, society wants wood products as well, but these new broader societal goals may not be as compatible with good timber management as the old ones. Thus, the challenge is to find new ways to manage that achieve the specific set of objectives adopted for a particular landscape. New forestry is an attempt to meet this challenge. Let's grow trees, lots of them and real fast.