Authors: James T. Walters, former Extension Associate, Department of Forestry, College of Natural Resources, Virginia Tech and James E. Johnson, Associate Dean of Outreach, College of Natural Resources, Virginia Tech.
Publication Number: 420-144, posted March 2000
Sustainable Forestry -- What Does This Mean For Me?
The forests of the United States have undergone substantial changes since European settlement in the 1600s. In colonial America, trees were viewed as weeds, and land was cleared to plant agricultural crops. Timber was used to make cabins, fences, and other structures important to frontier life. Forests continued to be cleared as the United States became an important member of the world's economy. Our forests were one of our most important resources and provided us with wood for housing, paper, and export goods. Forests were cut and the land cleared with little further thought. Deforestation then began to slow, but we still viewed the forest as an unlimited supply of timber, wildlife, homesites, and recreation opportunities. The increasing interest in the environment has now caused us to stand back and think about the sustainability of our forest practices. Sustainable forestry is simply managing forests to meet the needs of today while leaving sufficient resources for future generations. Sustainable management is founded upon a stewardship ethic that focuses on multiple-use forestry and conservation of soil, air, water, and habitat quality. Some of our forestlands have been managed sustainably for generations, but many have been poorly managed. Because forests are a valuable resource, we should manage them responsibly and be careful not to over-exploit them.
Sustainable forestry is an important factor in sustainable community development, which allows communities to remain stable and viable. Forests can be an important factor in the well-being of a community. This is especially true in western Virginia, where forestland is a large portion of the land base. Our forests are a very valuable resource. They are also renewable - they are capable of being replaced by natural ecological cycles or sound management practices. Sustainable forestry shares two key components with sustainable development: it focuses on the needs of people and it recognizes that we have limited natural resources.
People place many demands on forests. Forests are vital in sustaining life because they process carbon dioxide into oxygen, which is necessary for us to breathe. We make many types of wood products from the trees in our forests, including structural lumber, wood furniture, fuelwood, and pulp products such as paper and cardboard. Many people are interested in sustaining wildlife species, which require reliable cover and food. Recreational opportunities are in great demand and are becoming valuable resources for private landowners. We are also placing increasing value on the aesthetic quality of our forests; wooded homesites and sites with good views are much more valuable than cleared lots. Forests help to maintain water quality by filtering nutrients from runoff and preventing erosion. Finally, many landowners manage timber on their forestland to provide income when the timber is mature. All these demands are made on our forests at one time or another. The management of forests to meet more than one of these demands is called multiple-use management. The limitations of the natural resources in our forests have become quite apparent in recent years. Increasing timber prices and legal battles over the use of national forests suggest that we must recognize these limitations and manage forests wisely. An important limitation of our forests is the acreage available for management. Many large tracts of forestland are being fragmented into stands too small to effectively manage. Others are being developed for other land uses. Current trends indicate that fragmentation and development will continue to reduce the total acreage of forestland. The second limitation of the forest is productivity. Some parts of the world, and even some parts of the United States, are recognizing the value of fertilizing forests to increase productivity, but fertilization is expensive, and it is not economically feasible in western Virginia. However, it is very important for us to maintain forest productivity through proper management. Some previous management practices have decreased productivity by negatively impacting the soil, changing the species composition, and degrading the genetic quality of forests. We must avoid these practices in the future and focus on strategies to improve productivity.
Why Practice Sustainable Forestry?
There are many reasons for practicing sustainable forestry. The economic sustainability of some communities is directly related to the long-term success of the forest products industry. Furthermore, many people feel an ethical obligation to manage forests in a responsible manner. Sustainable forest management is also a means by which the forest is able to meet multiple demands.
Communities that are surrounded by extensive forest resources often have wood products companies as primary employers. These companies are important to the local economy because they provide stable jobs and support related industries such as logging and trucking. The success of wood products companies is important to the long-term prosperity of many rural communities. Forest products industries can be successful in the same location over a long period of time if there is a constant supply of timber. Sustainable forests provide a steady supply of timber for these manufacturers. Forests also provide opportunities for a host of recreational activities such as camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking, and bird watching. These activities can generate substantial income for a community, and must be accommodated by forestry practices that are used to produce timber.
Sustainable forestry practices can create financial gains for landowners and consumers of wood products. Poor forestry practices result in lower financial returns for landowners because future harvests are not as profitable. Proper management techniques allow landowners to have a continuing, periodic income from their timberland. Sustainable forestry can also result in more stable prices for wood products such as lumber and paper because the supply of timber is more constant.
Many people are worried about the future of our environment and feel an obligation to maintain biological richness, productivity, and ecological processes. Environmental concerns are growing and receive a great deal of attention from the media and politicians. Many people want to manage our resources responsibly and are learning more about forestry so they can make informed forest management decisions. Some people are concerned about the supply of forest products. Others want to preserve certain characteristics of the forest for future generations. Examples of these characteristics include wilderness, beautiful scenery, and old growth. Sustainable forestry considers all these environmental concerns as important inputs to management decisions.
Public forest managers are continuously under the scrutiny of various forest user groups. Management decisions on public forests are very complex because of the many conflicting objectives of users. It is much easier for private forest landowners to make management decisions, because they generally have fewer management objectives. Sustainable forest management addresses multiple uses of forests by basing decisions on all objectives that are important to a landowner.
Perhaps the most important reason to practice sustainable forestry is that it is the right thing to do. Virginia's forests are abundant and trees are a renewable resource, but we must recognize that the amount of forestland is limited. Wise forest management will allow us to continue to enjoy the forest benefits that we have always taken for granted.
The Foundation of Sustainable Forest Management
The foundation of sustainable forest management lies in its mission, guiding principles, and objectives. The mission represents the ultimate goal of our management efforts - sustainable forests. More specifically, the mission of sustainable forest management is to utilize forests to meet the needs of today while leaving resources for future generations. The outputs of sustainable forest management are very diverse, ranging from wood products to the water that drains from the forest.
Guiding principles are values and beliefs that form the basis for our management decisions. In sustainable forest management, these principles reflect the intent to conserve forest resources and to manage forests for diverse purposes. Management activities should protect the functions and characteristics of forests. We should also manage under a multiple-use management scheme, in which many forest uses and objectives are considered. Impacts of forest management activities on sites external to the forest should be minimized. We should try to protect unique and fragile areas that have important cultural, social, and ecological value. Finally, we should be considerate of the local economy and needs of local people. Our management activities should fall within all laws pertaining to such operations.
There are eight primary objectives in sustainable forest management. These objectives represent specific goals that will help us achieve the ultimate mission of sustainable forestry. There are often trade-offs among these objectives, so all must be considered while planning management activities. The objectives are:
How this Handbook is Organized
The eight chapters of this handbook parallel the eight objectives of sustainable forest management. Each chapter describes management strategies and activities that may be useful in meeting a particular objective. Management strategies are the means by which we can accomplish our overall goal of sustainable forest management. Management activities are the specific tasks we can perform in following a strategy. Each chapter also includes a list of references to other publications that discuss specific strategies and activities in more detail.
For example, the first chapter focuses on the role that landowners can have in managing their forests. Management strategies for landowners include determining your ownership objectives, preparing a forest management plan, seeking professional advice, and maintaining good contracts with forest workers. Each of these strategies is discussed in detail, including reasons why each is important and what you can do to fulfill each strategy. The chapter concludes with a list of resources that cover this subject in more detail.
Many landowners are interested only in specific objectives, such as promoting wildlife or managing for timber. However, it is important to read all objectives and think about how your particular management strategies and activities might interact with other forest uses. For example, you may be interested solely in your timberland as a financial investment, but you should consider the impact of your management activities on water quality, aesthetics, and wildlife habitat; it is not wise to ignore them.
This handbook is intended to be both a quick reference and a long-term learning tool. It is organized in a manner that is straightforward and clear. Additionally, the material is arranged so that it can be read in its entirety. Each of the objectives of sustainable forestry is equally important and should receive equal consideration. This consideration will be a very important part of successful forest management in the future.
Return to Moving Toward Sustainable Forestry: Strategies for Forest Landowners.