Forest Management Guidelines

Forest management is a dynamic process where each practice triggers a feedback. Based on the feedback from the land, each consecutive management intervention is then reassessed and adapted. If we look back in the history and evolution of forests many patterns begin to emerge. Our management goals are not nostalgic, we do not plan on managing the landscape with a goal of returning to a snapshot in time, yet we will learn from the patterns and basic principles to manage for the forests of the future. The hope is to intervene as little as possible to reach our goals, and support the natural ability of forests to adapt and grow.

Principles not Prescriptions

-Change is the only constant

-Timber is a byproduct of a healthy ecosystem

-Ecosystem health is priority number one

-Harvest the least for the best response

-Grow the carrying capacity to levels beyond our expectations

-Never harvest beyond the excess; applies to all resources not just timber

-Plan for succession, but leave room for surprises

-Stable thresholds can be a slippery place to be

-Forests operate on a different timescale, embrace it

-Ask questions

-Wait for answers