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Area and percent of forest affected by abiotic agents beyond reference conditions

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Criterion 3, Indicator 16, of the Montréal Process Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests was designed to assess the impact of abiotic agents upon forests (Montréal Process Working Group 2007). Various abiotic agents, both natural and human-induced, can change forest structure and species composition. Where such change goes beyond a critical threshold, forest ecosystem health may be significantly altered and its ability to recover from disturbance reduced or lost, often meaning a reduction or loss of benefits associated with that forest ecosystem. Monitoring the area and percent of forests affected by abiotic agents beyond reference conditions may provide information needed in the formulation of management strategies to mitigate risk. The summary of this analysis is reported in the National Report on Sustainable Forests 2010 Report (USDA Forest Service 2011) while the purpose of this document is to provide the detailed evidence to support the reported data.

Parent Publication

Citation

Ellenwood, Jim. 2012. Area and percent of forest affected by abiotic agents beyond reference conditions. In: Potter, Kevin M.; Conkling, Barbara L., eds. 2012. Forest health monitoring: 2009 national technical report. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-167. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 137-150.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/43393