Projecting Forest Policy and Management Effects across Ownerships in Coastal Oregon

Abstract

Two of the most fundamental questions in forest ecosystem management are: (1) What are the consequences of different forest management practices? and (2) How do they vary with spatial and temporal scale? The forest management controversies of the 1990s in the Pacific Northwest revolved around these questions and led to major new forest polices in the region for federal and state lands, as well as considerable modification of forest polices for private forest lands. In the Coast Range Physiographic Province in Oregon, for example, new and separate policies across all ownerships federal, state, and private lands-have been initiated in the last 15 years. The Northwest Forest Plan for federal forests made ecosystem management the foundation of forest management and reduced timber sales there by over 90% compared to the 1980s. The new forest plans for the state forests of Oregon significantly refocused management toward a greater recognition of biodiversity values. Changes to riparian policies for private lands were also made during this period via the Oregon Forest Practices Act.

Citation

Spies, Thomas A.; Johnson, K. Norman. 2007. Projecting Forest Policy and Management Effects across Ownerships in Coastal Oregon. Ecological Applications Vol. 17. Issue 1, p. 3-4