Summary and synthesis

Abstract

America’s forests are undergoing changes unlike any seen before in human history. The concept of the Anthropocene Era, a new geologic epoch characterized by anthropogenic dominance over the Earth’s systems, has become an important framework for thinking about the processes and consequences of worldwide environmental change, particularly global climate change, widespread species extinctions, mega-forest fires, and the erosion of the Earth’s life support systems. If humanity is now in an epoch where large-scale ecological functions and relationships are outside the historic range of variability, then new and interdisciplinary approaches to forest conservation are required. The people and organizations charged with the conservation and sustainable management of the world’s forests and their associated renewable natural resources are at the forefront of efforts to understand and address these challenges. This summary and synthesis is from presentations and discussion at the conference on Forest Conservation in the Anthropocene, convened by the Pinchot Institute for Conservation in Washington, DC, September 17-18, 2013.

Parent Publication

• Forest conservation and management in the Anthropocene: Conference proceedings

Citation

Sample, V. Alaric; Topik, Christopher. 2014. Summary and synthesis. In: Sample, V. Alaric; Bixler, R. Patrick, eds. Forest conservation and management in the Anthropocene: Conference proceedings. Proceedings. RMRS-P-71. Fort Collins, CO: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 471-494.