Chapter 12 Multiple use management of public forestlands This chapter focuses on the multiple use management of public forestlands. The managers of these lands must in addition to considering the value of timber harvests consider various nonmarket amenity services such as recreation water flow and wildlife which are influenced by alterations in the standing stocks of timber. The chapter discusses research results on the relation of such multiple use management to single purpose timber management. The presentation is motivated by a number of issues of current concern including (1) the withdrawal of lands from timber management (2) the specialization or diversification of land use (3) the level and stability of timber supply and (4) the wisdom of certain accepted rule of thumb principles of public forestland management related to the age and level of harvests. The principles of public forestry in the United States have often been driven by the fear of timber shortage and the destabilizing effects on employment and prices arising from fluctuations in the supply of timber. The chapter describes the institutional setting for multiple use management within the U.S. Forest Service.