Forest Management

Abstract

Global variation in forests and in human cultures means that a single method for managing forests is not possible. However, forest management everywhere shares some common principles because it is rooted in physical and biological sciences like chemistry and genetics. Ecological forest management is an approach that combines an understanding of universal processes with site-specific, local knowledge to sustain forest ecosystems and to provide what people want from them. In places as diverse as the equatorial tropics and the boreal north, people use forests in different ways. Sometimes the prize sought is food; at other times it is building materials, medicine, or birdwatching. The plants and animals available and the ways people use them depend on the condition of the forest itself.

Citation

Hummel, S.; O''Hara, K. L. 2008. Forest Management. In: Jorgensen, Sven Erik; Fath, Briand D. eds., Ecological Engineering, Vol. 2, p. 1653-1662, Oxford: Elsevier