Resource Management

Forest Ecosystem Services

Deforestation The clearing and loss of forests Causes soil degradation, population declines, and species extinctions The tropical rainforests of Latin America and Africa are being felled at the fastest rates

Timber Harvesting In the United States, we have harvested virtually all of the old growth forests (original forests) and now are second-growth trees These are trees that have sprouted and grown to partial maturity after old-growth timber can been cut

Fear of a “timber famine” In the US, forests were quickly depleted to feed the ever growing population Public lands were set aside to grow trees, produce timber, and protect watersheds The national forest system is now spread across the country

US Public Lands

Timber Harvesting Currently, most production occurs on private lands

Plantation Forestry This method maximizes production by growing fast-growing tree species in single-species monocultures

Plantation Farming the stands are even-aged (all trees are planted at the same time) and are cut down after a certain number of years and the land is replanted often viewed as crop agriculture instead of as forests, since there is low biodiversity

Plantation Forestry another method is to plant uneven-aged stands, where mixed-ages or species are planted

How are trees harvested (cut down?) from the 1950s-1970s forests were clear-cut, where all the trees were cut down at once, leaving stumps very cost-efficient but has the greatest impacts on ecosystems

variations on clear-cutting seed-tree approach—small numbers of mature and seed-producing trees are left standing so that they can reseed the logged area

variations on clear-cutting shelterwood approach—small numbers of trees are left to shelter the seedlings that are planted

Selection systems allows uneven-aged stands to grow because only some trees in an area are cut at a time more environmentally friendly, but impacts soil more because trucks must be moved around a forest more expensive and dangerous

the environmental effects of logging habitat disturbance for plants and animals increased soil erosion increased silt in waterways

America’s National Forests Recently, the US Forest Service has taken a strategy of multiple use where national forests are managed for recreation, wildlife habitats, mineral extraction, and logging in reality, timber production is the primary use in 2004, President Bush loosened the environmental protection on national forests

Fire!! Usually, the Forest Service and other agencies suppress fires whenever they break out (using Smokey the Bear as a national symbol) Long term, this can lead to fuel buildup and catastrophically large fires (ex: the recent fires in California

Fire is a natural process Many forest ecosystems naturally depend on fire to regenerate and stay stable

Controlled Burns controlled burns can be used to reduce the amount of fuel in a forest; small areas are carefully burned this is often misunderstood by the public

Salvage logging salvage logging is when dead trees and underbrush is removed following a natural disturbance good economically, but removes ecologically valuable structures and decomposers

National Parks Publically held lands protected from resource extraction and development, but open to nature appreciation Ex) Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone

National Wildlife Refuge Preserves habitats but also allows use if is carefully controlled

Wilderness Area Off limits to any development, but open to public recreation

Wildlife Corridors