Post on 21-Jan-2016
transcript
ECOLOGICAL FORESTRY: Restoring, rehabilitating, and maintaining diverse and resilient forest ecosystems
Thomas LaPointe, Refuge Forester
Silvio O. Conte NFWR
802-962-5240; thomas_lapointe@fws.gov
Cindy Williams
Forestry Models
Custodial (AKA “Set Aside”) Sustained yield Multiple-use Production Extensive
Greg Corace
Ecological Forestry
Forestry that focuses on restoring, rehabilitating and maintaining the ecological integrity of forest ecosystems
Ecological Forestry - Tenets
Forests are dynamic ecosystems that evolve over time and if left alone are shaped by natural agents
Manipulating forest ecosystems by emulating natural disturbances regimes will encourage native diversity that is better able to cope with stressors
At the stand scale, provide biological legacies (typically large old trees, snag trees, cavity trees, coarse woody debris, etc) similar to those that survive natural disturbances
At the landscape scale, the crucial point is to regenerate areas at approximately the same rate as the natural disturbance cycle would have, and to ensure that the natural diversity in age and structure are conserved and maintained
Biological Integrity, Diversity, and Environmental Health (BIDEH)
…”favor management that restores or mimics natural ecosystem processes or functions to achieve refuge purpose(s)”
…”the highest measure of biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health (as)...those intact and self-sustaining habitats and wildlife populations that existed during historic conditions”
Challenges
Human demand for timber Unpredictable changes of
land use associated with a predominately privately owned landscapes
Severely degraded and altered ecosystems
Complexity in managing and balancing ecosystems at multiple spatial scales
Recommendations
Consider ecological forestry when developing goals, objectives, and strategies for forest ecosystems
Read more about it Towards a New Forestry – Jerry Franklin Principles of Ecological Forestry–Robert Seymour and
Malcolm Hunter Ecologically Based Forest Management – John Kotar
Consult a forester, forest ecologist, or other resource professional with knowledge in this field
Umbagog NWR, New Hampshire
Umbagog NWR, New Hampshire
Cindy Williams
Questions?