Matrix Management FOR 272 – Sustainable Forest Management

Global Deforestation –Deforestation accounts for 20 to 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions FAO (2005): 13 million hectares deforested annually Net loss of 7.3 million ha/yr ( ) Down from 8.9 million ha/yr ( ) Rates now increasing again due to conversion for oil palm plantations

IUCN’s* Six Protected Areas Management Categories Category I.Strict Nature Reserve: managed for science or wilderness Category II.National Park: managed primarily for ecosystem protection and recreation Category III.Natural Monument: managed primarily for conservation of specific natural features Category IV.Habitat/Species Management Area: managed for conservation through active intervention Category V.Protected Landscape/Seascape: Managed for cultural and scenic integrity, conservation, and recreation; human settlements and agricultural areas are accommodated Category VI.Managed Resource Protected Area: Managed primarily for the sustainable use of ecosystems IUCN = The World Conservation Union, previously known as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature

Status of the World’s Protected Areas 12% of terrestrial ecosystems < 10% of the world’s lakes 0.5% of marine areas Data: World Conservation Monitoring Centre

From Lindenmayer and Franklin (2002)

No more than 10-15% of the world major biomes are likely ever to be protected 50 % of tropical taxa predicted to go extinct with several decades even if > 10% of tropical forests are protected (Soule and Sanjayan 1998) Continued bias towards high elevations and least productive soils Hotspots and representativeness will be key issues  25 biological hotspots  1.4 percent of Earth’s land surface  35 percent of vertebrate species  44 percent of the world’s plant species.  1/3 of terrestrial plants and animals confined to less than 2 percent of the Earth’s surface.  Most hotspots have no conservation protection.

Atlantic Rainforest Restoration The Atlantic rainforest once covered 400,000 square miles Only 7% remains 450 tree species per hectare 2.7% of world’s plant species just in what is left Testing innovative funding mechanisms  U.S. companies paying for carbon sequestration How do we restore it?

Large Core Reserve Buffer Terrestrial Corridor Terrestrial Restoration Wetland Restoration Riparian Restoration Riparian Corridor Matrix Large Core Reserve Buffer Small Core Reserve Matrix

Critical Roles for the Matrix 1.Supporting populations of species 2.Regulating the movement of organisms 3.Buffering sensitive areas and reserves 4.Maintaining the integrity of aquatic ecosystems 5.Opportunities for timber harvesting and resource extraction

Critical Roles for the Matrix Other ecosystem functions Hydrologic and watershed processes Regulation of regional and global climate Carbon sequestration Nutrient cycling and soil conservation Pollination service Clean air and clean water Open space, recreation, aesthetics, wilderness/outdoors experiences, quality of life amenities, etc.

Matrix Management Principles 1.Maintenance of connectivity 2.Maintenance of landscape heterogeneity 3.Maintenance of stand complexity 4.Maintenance of intact aquatic ecosystems 5.Risk-spreading

Late-Successional Reserves Established by the Northwest Forest Plan From: Vogt, K.A., J.C. Gordon, J.P. Wargo, D.J. Vogt, H. Asbjornsen, P.A. Palmiotto, H. J. Clark, J.L. O’Hara, W.S. Keeton, T. Patel-Weynand, and E. Witten Ecosystems: Balancing Science with Management. Springer-Verlag, New York, N.Y. 470 pp.

“Demonstration of Ecosystem Management Options”

Weyerhaeuser Co. Variable Retention Forestry

National Forest System Lands

Red-Cockaded Woodpecker ( Picoides borealis ) Population declines due to loss of habitat Requires mature ( year old) long-leaf pine forests for nesting Requires open-canopied, single- layered structure maintained by low intensity fire Forestry practices now the leading problem: Short-rotation silviculture Fire suppression

Historical Range of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker Historic: millions acres of longleaf pine ecosystems on coastal plains of the southeast Current: 3 million acres remaining

Matrix Management Examples for Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Federal ESA Recovery Plan Pending International Paper Habitat Conservation Plan for Southlands Experimental Forest in Bainbridge, Georgia 1.Requires conservation of 1,500 acres of suitable nesting habitat 2.Increase this to 5,000 acres 3. Goal of nesting clusters

What forestry practices should private companies and government agencies follow? -> Conclusion: Maximizing NPV results in a net reduction of suitable habitat. Moderate NPV scenarios provide sufficient habitat

Former International Paper Lands: 172,000 acres

Former Champion International Lands 132,000 acres total: 26,000 to West Mountain Wildlife Management Area 22,000 to Nulhegen National Wildlife Refuge 84,000 to Essex Timber Co.

Former Champion International Lands in Northeastern Vermont

Apply the Triad Model: Where are the reserves? Which of these qualify?

What form will Matrix Management take on Essex Timber Co lands? FSC Certification – Smartwood