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- Info
The new forestry: An ecosystem approach to land management
| Author: |
Gillis, Anna Maria |
| Date: |
1990 |
| Periodical: |
BioScience |
| Abstract: |
Foresters on public lands often find themselves in tug-of-war situations. If they satisfy environmentalists who want to keep the land pristine, lumber companies are alienated; when government foresters agree to increase timber cuts, environmentalists are angered. Jerry Franklin, chief plant ecologist for the US Forest Service and a professor at the University of Washington's College of Forest Resources, suggests the alternative to this no-win situation is what he calls "new forestry." It is a way to "manage land to accommodate ecological values and allow for the extraction of commodities," says the leader of the new forestry movement. He says studies on forest ecosystems are indicating that commodity production and preservation of ecological values are not completely incompatible. Proponents and critics of new forestry call it by a number of names: alternative silviculture, hobby silviculture, gonzo forestry, ecological forestry, a unified field theory for forestry, and old-style German forestry. Depending on who is talking, it is described as a science, an attitude, or a solution to touchy social and political questions related to forest management. Some foresters and ecologists question whether new forestry can meet its dual goals of commodity production and maintenance of ecological integrity. The consensus: much research is still needed. |
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