o Goal: Harvest resources while minimizing effects on the rest of the ecosystem o Ecologically sensitive areas are carefully monitored and protects; resources are harvested selectively o Ecosystems are complex, so choosing which areas to protect and which to harvest is a challenge - Forests vary in their makeup, age, and origins o Old growth or primary forests 36% of the Worlds forests o Second growth forests 60% of the Worlds forests o Tree plantation, tree farm, or commercial forest 4% of the Worlds forests May supply most of the industrial wood - Value of Forests o Ecological Value Provide habitats Source of biodiversity Prevent erosion Purify water Store carbon and release oxygen o Economic Value Timber for lumber and fuel Source of food Raw materials for many medicines A source of recreation Tourism business - Timber Harvesting Methods o Clear-Cutting o Seed-tree o Shelter wood - Clear Cutting o Involves cutting down all trees in a region, resulting in even-ages stands of regrowth o Changes abiotic conditions in the area, including light penetration, precipitation, wind, and temperature o Benefit: Cost efficient o Costs: Entire communities destroyed or displaced, Causes excess soil erosion. - Seed- tree o Small numbers of mature, healthy trees are left standing to reseed the area. o Benefit: Less damaging than clear cutting o Costs: As with clear-cutting, leads to mostly even-aged regrowth - Shelter wood Forestry o Involves leaving a few mature trees standing to provide shelter for seedlings. o Benefit: Less damaging than clear cutting o Costs: As with clear-cutting, leads to mostly even-aged regrowth - Selection Systems o Relatively few trees are cut at once under a selection system o Selection can involve widely spaced single trees or groups o Benefits: More biodiversity, uneven aged growth Less overall environmental damage o Costs: Machinery disturbs forest interior Expensive process More dangerous to workers - Strip Cutting o Cutting out forests in strips. o The strips refill after time. - Unsustainable Logging is a Major Threat to Forest Ecosystems o Increased erosion o Sediment runoff o Habitat fragmentation o Loss of biodiversity - Deforestation o Unlike timber harvesting, deforestation replaces forested areas with some other land use, such as commercial or residential property o Deforestation in tropical and arid regions has the most negative effects due to loss of biodiversity and desertification risk respectively o Globally, deforestation adds C0 2 to the environment - Deforestation in Developing Nations o Timber from old-growth tropical rain forests is a source of income in developing nations o Advanced technology enables deforestation to occur far faster than it has in the United States. o Deforestation of tropical rain forests has an enormously negative effect on global species diversity. - US National Forests o National forest system established in 1905 o Originally set aside to grow trees for timber and to protect watersheds o Today, managed by the US Forest Service, for timber, recreation, wildlife, habitat, and mining - Logging on Private Land o Most logging in the U.S. takes place on privately owned tree plantations. o A tree plantation is typically an even-aged monoculture with little habitat variety or biodiversity. Forestry o Use of plantations for timber protects National Forests from being logged. - Fire, Insects, and Climate Change Can Threaten Forest Ecosystems o Surface fires Usually burn leaf litter and undergrowth May provide food in the form of vegetation that sprouts after fire o Crown fires Extremely hot: burns whole trees Kill wildlife Increase soil erosion
o Introduction of foreign diseases and insects Accidental Deliberate o Global warming Rising temperatures Trees more susceptible to diseases and pests Drier forests: more fires More greenhouse gases - Healthy Forests Restoration Act (2003) o Encourages prescribed burns o Promotes salvage loggingremoval of small trees, underbrush, and snags by timber companies o Seen as harmful by many scientists and environmental advocates o Salvage logging can slow forest regrowth, promotes wildfires, and destroys snags habitat for wildlife. - Sustainable Forestry Products o Independent organizations certify that wood products are produced sustainably. o Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has the strictest standards and most widely accepted certification process. o Certified wood costs more to produce, but will be supplied by timber companies if there is demand.