This failure of the plan implementation will make it more difficult to develop, in the future, the same consensus and the sense partnership that existed ten years ago when these management plans were developed. Hopefully, this Forum on Forest Sustainability will foster aggressive citizen involvement from the forest resource based communities to stimulate a resurgence of the partnerships necessary for good stewardship of our forests. We all want to be responsible stewards of our forests for this and future generations. If we continue to use wood, and we should, it must come form somewhere. After all, wood is renewable, recyclable, and more energy efficient than substitute products.
Trees capture solar energy, use carbon dioxide, and produce oxygen and the miracle of wood.
Additionally, in our managed temperate forests, we are doing this in a sustainable, competitive, and productive manner. First, continue to have this type of local Forum on Forest Sustainability in all forest regions of Michigan. Second, get involved in planning the management of State and National forests in your local area. Third, be an active participant in local land-use planning meetings. Fourth, work with your County Road Commission to support their work in maintaining a network of forest roads for recreational travel and the transportation of wood products.