Introduction to proceedings of a workshop on science considerations in functional restoration

Abstract

There has been a great deal of discussion in the scientific literature and in traditional forest management literature about forest restoration, ecological restoration, adaptive and active management for restoring forest ecosystems, and a variety of linked topics. The USDA Forest Service manages 193 million acres of forest and grasslands for a variety of uses, and conducts restoration work on many of these lands. In addition, the Research and Development branch of the Forest Service works to develop knowledge to help in managing the Nation's forests and grass lands. In the context of changing environmental conditions, it is critical to develop science and technology to improve systems' capability and functionality to provide needed goods and services such as water, habitat, wood products, and recreation opportunities in a dynamic future. Such an approach is called functional restoration. As Associate Deputy Chief for Forest Service Research and Development, I requested a synthesis of science considerations in functional restoration with an analysis of the current science underpinning the concept of functional restoration and what should be considered when proposing or evaluating a potential restoration effort. As a complement to this effort, a workshop was convened to bring selected experts in the area of functional restoration together to discuss these issues and provide input to the authors of a science synthesis paper currently being prepared by the Forest Service as a General Technical Report.

Citation

Rodriguez-Franco, Carlos. 2014. Introduction to proceedings of a workshop on science considerations in functional restoration. Journal of Sustainable Forestry. 33(sup1): S1-S2.