Raw materials from the public lands in century 21

Abstract

Forest management on public lands is undergoing fundamental change. To understand forest management on U.S. public lands in the future, an understanding of the concept of ecosystem management will be needed. Ecosystem management is not a goal unto itself, but a means to an endCand that end goal is sustainability of all resources. A number of commitments have been made by U.S. Government officials to use ecosystem management principles in managing the Nation's forest resources. At the June 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) meeting in Rio de Janeiro, the United States announced a policy of ecosystem management for natural resources. President Clinton in the April 1993 "Forest Plan for a Sustainable Economy and a Sustainable Environment" (Forest Plan) announced that ecosystem principles will be used in forest planning. And in the September 1993 report, "Creating a Government That Works Better and Costs Less," Vice President Gore directed that ecosystem planning and management be used by federal land management agencies. The authors discuss timber production from public and private lands, both from a historical view and within the framework of ecosystem management.

Citation

Kaiser, H. Fred; Granskog, James E. 1996. Raw materials from the public lands in century 21. In: Carter, Mason C., ed. Growing trees in a greener world: industrial forestry in the 21st century; 35th LSU forestry symposium. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station: 254-261.