For these landowners, fragmentation means the steady trend toward dividing land up into ever smaller acreage parcels . When previously large forest tracts are divided into smaller ones, it is rare that the various new landowners will have the same forest management goals therefore, the chances for management and protection of this forest tract decrease. Our Forested Landscapes Wisconsin s own Aldo Leopold, Forester, Wildlife Manager and Author, helped us to understand that everything within the natural world is interconnected, therefore, interdependent. The actions of one person on one small piece of the landscape can affect the whole ecosystem. Through activities such as building a home, planting ornamentals, or by choosing to manage forested acreage or leave it alone, landowners change habitats, cover types, soil fertility, ground water recharge and many other natural processes.
More people making many individual choices can bring significant change to a landscape.
The science of ecosystem management asks us to consider this connectivity while developing strategies to manage natural environments for optimum health. Foresters are required to consider the ecological, socioeconomic and institutional policy dimensions of forested landscapes when developing management plans. Ideally, landowners will also want to participate in planning the future of the larger forested landscape, of which they own a small part. Understanding the Problem, in a Nutshell Wisconsin s forested landscape is a resource that provides both livelihood and leisure to residents and visitors. As unplanned development occurs throughout the state, forest product-based economies are impacted by reduced availability of resources, higher removal costs and increasing conflict among landowners regarding goals for use of the forest.