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Resilient Forests
Managing for Productivity, Health, and
Resilience in the Face of Pervasive
Change
Steven W. Koehn, Director / State Forester
Maryland DNR Forest Service
Governor’s Commission on Sustainable Forestry
Annapolis, MD
July 20, 2005
What We’ll Cover
State Forester’s vision for forests
Forest values
American forests in a global context
Sustainability and forests
Different roles for different forests
The work ahead
The “Whole Forest” View
All Forests: from urban forests and tree farms to parks and
wilderness
All Forest Products: from wood and water to wild things
and wild places
All Forest Practices: from preservation and protection to
restoration and production
All Forest Uses: from recreation and learning to jobs and
economic vitality
All Forest Values: from carbon stores and spiritual retreats
to sources of life and cultural heritage
SF Vision for Forests …
Sustain and enrich human well being through
diverse values, uses, products and services;
Managed and conserved to meet changing
needs based on local knowledge plus ever-
improving science and technologies;
Serve current and future generations in
sustaining our communities and rich cultural
heritage.
Forests that …
Deliver high quality water
Sustainably meet domestic needs for forest-based
resources
Reward owners/stewards with multiple benefits
Perpetuate biological and cultural diversity
Ameliorate impacts of human activities
Grow in extent, productivity, resilience
Are managed for distinct local capabilities & values
Restore human spirit and stewardship ethic
Bring people together for common purpose
Lands of Many Values
State Forester’s vision for forests
Forest values
American forests in a global context
Sustainability and forests
Different roles for different forests
The work ahead
Forests are Sources of Life
1. Clean water and air
2. Abundant fish and wildlife
3. Cultural heritage
4. Climate and carbon
5. Recreation and aesthetics
6. Wood and fiber
7. Non-wood forest products
8. Jobs and personal identity
9. Wealth and revenues
Global Forest Context
State Forester’s vision for forests
Forest values
American forests in a global context
Sustainability and forests
Different roles for different forests
The work ahead
Global Forces = Change
Population growth: 6.3 Bil. in 2003 to ~ 8 Bil. in 2050
Technology breakthroughs: steady advances + surprises
Political instability: local to global, ballot measures to wars
Trade issues: barriers/subsidies, free vs fair
Restructuring in forest sector: global integration, dynamics
in timberland ownership, ag-land afforestation
Widening rich-poor gap: happening everywhere
Raising of “green” consciousness: more than air/water
Consumption growth: space, water, fossil fuels, food, wood,
minerals
Climate change: yes but variable, uncertain regional effects
Non-native invasive species + explosive natives
Pervasive Change
Need for continual learning and
adaptation
Global Forest Trends
Forest area: ~ 9.6 Billion ac; 50-66% loss since 1600 AD
Forest loss: ~ 23 Million ac/yr in 1990s
Population + Economic Growth = Forest Loss
But not always: - 30 mil ac/yr in tropics, + 7 mil ac/yr in non-tropics
Demands for forest benefits ever growing
Water quality, quantity: biggest future forest issue
Wood use: range = flat near term to < 0.5%/yr long term
Biodiversity conservation: yes but public still bewildered after 20 years
Carbon storage: how much, trees + products, market uncertainty
Recreation, subsistence, cultural uses: highly variable by ownership
Some Global Leaders
Forest Area = Russia 22
Wood Volume = Russia 23
Wood Biomass = Brazil 27
Plantation Forests = China 24
Solid Wood Produced = US 22
Solid Wood Used = US 30
Solid Wood Imports = US 30
Solid Wood Exports = Canada 32
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
UN FAO 2005: 2000, 2002 data
Percent of World Share
Global Plantation Forests
EU 4.7
Brazil + Chile + NZ + SA + Australia 5.6
Russia + US + Japan 24
India + China 42
0 10 20 30 40 50
Percent of World Share
UN FAO 2005: 2000 data
Global & U.S. Wood Use
Ind. wood use rose 40% since 1960: ~ 1.6 BM3 but flat over last 20
Fuel wood use > industrial wood use: ~ 1.8 BM3 and growing
Ind. wood use could increase < 33% by 2050: from 1.6 - 2.1 BM3
~ 75% of global wood and fiber will come from planted forests by
mid century or earlier (Sedjo and others)
~ 31% of global solid wood consumption crosses an international
boundary from tree to product; most likely to increase
US imports 30% of solid wood products consumed; exports
associated jobs & impacts (81% growth since 1991)
US uses 30% of world’s solid wood products; largest per capita
US forest and wood choices drive global wood market
UN FAO 2005: 2002 data + Perez-Garcia on future demand
US in Global Context
People 4.7
Land 7
Forest Land 5.8
Reserve Forest 9
Plantion Forests 8.6
Wood Volume in Forests 8
Solid Wood Used 30
Solid Wood Imported 30
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Percent of World Share (UN FAO 2005: 2000, 2003 data)
Sustainability
State Forester’s vision for forests
Forest values
American forests in a global context
Sustainability and forests
Different roles for different forests
The work ahead
Sustainability
Balance among environmental, economic
and cultural aspirations
Equity across societal sectors and
generations
Engagement of people in social choices
that affect them
Adaptability to pervasive change
Sustainable Forestry
The suite of policies, plans and practices
that seek to protect, produce, and
perpetuate forest ecosystems for the
values, uses, products, and services
desired by communities and landowners
for this and future generations
NCSSF 2005
Sustainability
Not possible without continual
adaptation to change
Fitting Forest to Purpose
State Forester’s vision for forests
Forest values
American forests in a global context
Sustainability and forests
Different roles for different forests
The work ahead
Breadth of Sustainable
Forest Management
Sustainable forest management
varies by forest type,
ownership, primary purpose
Forest purposes:
Wood and fiber production
Multiple resource values/uses
Reserves, nature preservation
Urban and community forests
Wood Production Forests
Most of world’s future wood will
come from planted forests:
~ 33% now, ~ 75% by 2050
~ 10% or less of global forest area
Primary purposes:
Grow trees for wood, fiber
Increase forest value to owner
Management challenges:
Thrive in global markets
Increase wood yield: > 2x over natural
Reduce environmental impacts
Improve wood quality, consistency
Produce high return on investment
Maintain social license to operate
Who Owns Prod. Forest?
Million Acres by Owner
Site Class in
Ft3/Ac/Yr
120
100 1 = >120
80 2 = 85-120
60 3 = 50-85
40 4 = 20-50
20 5 = 0-20
0
National Other Forest Family
Forest Public Industry Forests
Source: Powell et al. (1993) Tables 5 and 6
Multi-resource Forests
Most of the world’s accessible forests
have multiple resource purposes
~ 40% of global forest area eventually
Primary purposes:
Meet diverse landowner objectives
Increase forest value to owner(s)
Challenges:
Optimize multi-resource outcomes
Produce multiple benefits for acceptable
costs
Differentiate products
Finance non-market benefits
Finance management
Reserve Forests
Parks, wilderness, natural areas:
~ 12% worldwide in 2000
~ 50% of global forest area eventually
Primary purposes:
Sustain at-risk species, natural
processes, “wild” ecosystems
Recreation, cultural uses
Management challenges:
Minimize human impacts
Restore, promote wildness, naturalness
Ameliorate effects of invasive species,
air pollution, explosive natives
Achieve goals for least costs
Finance management
Urban, Community
Forests
Where 80% of the people live
Primary purposes:
Attractive communities, neighborhoods
Conserve resources: water, energy
Increase property values
Backyard wildlife habitats
Management challenges:
Safety, infrastructure impacts
Minimize sprawl
Minimize invasive species escapes
Reserve Forests: Mostly
federal, some state, tribal,
private
Wood Production
Forests: Mostly
industry, family, Multi-resource
some state, tribal Forests: Mostly state,
Forest
Sustainability tribal, some family,
some federal
Environmental Benefits
Urban, Community
Forests: Forests where
people live
Ownership Matters
Wood Production Multi-resource Reserve
Industry, TIMO
*
Private, large
*
Family, NGO
Tribes
State
Federal
* Streamside zones, leave trees, habitats as mini or micro reserves
Maryland Forest Owners
Individual
51%
Public
20%
Industry
1%
Corporate Farmer
18% 10%
Leading the Way
State Forester’s vision for forests
Forest values
American forests in a global context
Sustainability and forests
Different roles for different forests
The work ahead
Challenges
1. Keep forest lands in forest uses for forest values
Sustain US forests in face of global forces, urban sprawl
Meet people’s forest resource needs efficiently
Improve management and conservation efficiency
Restore and sustain health of at-risk forests
Create new knowledge and technologies:
Sciences and products for progressive sustainability
Products and practices innovations
Enhance lifelong learning and extended education
AND
Address Demand --
Consumption Ethic
Intelligent consumption and production of
renewable natural resources is key to sustaining
quality of life;
Overuse, non-renewable substitutes, transfer effects
degrade ecosystems somewhere;
Prudent choices consider full impacts, the future,
and the entire life cycle of resources –
Domestic Renewables Win!
Restoration Challenge
Defining forest health
Normal stresses
Choices
Integrated strategies
Essentials for success
Roles for science
Strategic decision tree
Threats to Forest Health
Uncharacteristic
fire
Invasive species
and explosive
natives
Climate change
and drought
Residential
encroachment
Healthy Forest?
Functions as intended according to landowner goals, state
and/or federal, tribal policies
Delivers high quality water in quantities and seasons that
sustain ecosystems and people
Sustains native fish and wildlife compatible with primary
purpose(s)
Resilient to future stresses, e.g., drought, insects, diseases,
storms, fires, invasive species, explosive natives
Has community support to produce the array of values, uses,
products and services desired by owners
Some Stresses are Normal
Fires, disease, storms, landslides are natural processes;
vital to renewal of productivity, resilience
But some watershed conditions exceed range of natural
processes; impede water quality or create
unacceptable vulnerability to extreme stresses
Under what conditions should we intervene to “solve”
problems, alter ecosystem conditions or trajectory of
recovery?
What are the Options?
Let nature take its course
Intervene to reduce or eliminate stresses
Stop pollution, stop practices that impede health
Intervene to restore resilience before extreme stress
Affect species, stocking, sizes, distributions, understory
Intervene after events to restore health or influence resilience
to stress and the trajectory and rate of ecosystem
recovery
Remove threats to desired future conditions
Affect species, stocking, competing vegetation, herbivory
Integrated Strategy
Assess need for intervention and priorities at site, watershed
and landscape scales – collaborative, community
engagement
Target actions/treatments strategically for highest success,
lowest failure; lowest cost, highest benefits
Design actions for learning – adaptive management
Link restoration actions to complementary goals:
Water, fish, wildlife, wood yield, aesthetics, recreation, carbon
Energy, transportation, jobs, wood-based products
Monitor and research to reduce costs, increase benefits
Communicate, learn, adapt – close the loop on continual
learning
What is Needed for Success?
Ready access to contemporary science, relevant information,
tools
Ability to assess and act strategically at landscape/watershed
scale
Financial resources, social capital for intervention
Ability to accomplish multiple objectives and create wealth from
treatments to cover some costs of restoring health, resilience
Integration of science with management and local knowledge for
place-based problem solving, adaptive learning
Innovation in work processes and new products
Bias for barrier-busting boldness – risks and costs increase with
delay; timidity could = failure on goals
Does Science Have All
the Answers?
No way!
Can We Get There
Without Science?
No way!
A Strategic Decision Tree
Is policy/plan clear on direction for area in question?
If no, messy gridlock; clarify policy/plan
Will nature deliver what policy/plan calls for?
If yes, work is through
When restoration interventions are needed/warranted
What kind?
Where?
How frequent is the need?
How to pay for restoration work?
Public $$ – but state and federal discretionary $$ declining
Revenues generated from by-products of restoration work
Savings from reduced emergency spending
Carbon credits
Other: conservation incentives, recreation?
The Case for Management
Wood Production Forests
Sustain productivity and increase value as forests
Compete in global markets
Excellence in commodity woods
Value-added differentiated wood and wood-based products
Sustain resilience to drought, insects, disease, fire
Multi-resource Forests
Joint resource production
Diversify revenues to finance management: wood + recreation +
ecosystem services
Diversity, resilience to drought, insects, disease, fire
Reserve Forests
Restore wildness and natural processes
Contain human impacts
University Roles …
Educate a highly skilled forest/mill
workforce and future forest scientists and
teachers
Create a stronger science base for all SFM
systems; improve regulatory efficiency
Public Forestry Agency
Roles…
Innovations for improved market and environmental
performance of all US forests and forest products
Innovations to increase productivity and
sustainability of US forest resources and forest
products
Educate a more knowledgeable, responsible
citizenry
Promote prudent policies, empowered communities
Advocate for diverse, productive, resilient forests
and associated economies and human communities
Future Forest Resilience?
Its up to our generation to choose and act if
we want to deliver healthy, productive,
wealthy, and resilient forests to our children
and grandchildren
