Southern Forest Resource Assessment led by the USDA Forest Service's Southern Region and Southern Research Station in collaboration with the USEPA, US Fish & Wildlife, TVA, and state forestry agencies of the Southern United States

Broad Category:  Timber Markets and Forest Management

Question TIMBR-2: What are the status and trends of forest management practices in the South?

Question Manager: Jacek Siry, North Carolina State University, replacing David Loftis, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station in October 2000

Specific points to be addressed in answering the question:

1. Examine the impact of state, federal, and private incentive programs for forestry on management practices (primary responsibility in section III).
2. Examine status and trends of specific forest management practices, e.g., clearcutting, selective harvesting, natural regeneration, tree planting, for each ownership class.
3. Compare the production/productivity implications of various management intensities.
4. Describe the multiple-use intentions and outcomes of forest management on private lands.
5. Recognize all approaches to management including "no active management."
6. Examine how forest investment has influenced forest conditions and productivity.

Overview:

The goal of forest management is to develop and maintain (sustain) the kind of forest that best meets the objectives of the owner. This goal of sustaining forest conditions that meet owner objectives is the defining attribute of forest management.  A decision to take some action(s) in order to meet objectives is forest management, as is a decision to take no action as a means of meeting objectives.  Although there may be short-term objectives, unmanaged forests have no provision for sustaining conditions to meet owner objectives.

Understanding the trends and status of forest management activities will help us understand the levels of benefits that can be sustained from southern forests.  It is important, therefore, to know how much of the southern forest is being managed and what practices are being used.  It is also important to know how much of the southern forest is not being managed.  The contribution of managed forests to the sustainable provision of forest benefits is somewhat predictable, while the contribution of unmanaged forests carries a high level of uncertainty.

This question will focus on sustainability of timber supply.

Methods of analysis:

Gross scale: We will attempt to determine from a variety of data sources the status and trends in the proportion of forest land is being managed and proportion of forest land is not being managed across ecological units and ownerships.

Managed lands: We will examine the status and trends in the use of various forest management practices and management regimes across ownerships, ecological units, and in total.  Some examples of useful measures are 1) acres and types of regeneration cuttings, 2) intermediate stand management practices (e.g., thinnings), 3) rotation/cutting cycle, 4) chemical applications, 5) prescribe burning 6), use of genetically improved stock 7) even-aged, two-aged and uneven-aged silviculture, 8) no manipulative activity by design.

We will attempt to apply forest growth models appropriate for different silvicultural systems across different ecological units (forest types) to examine the productivity implications associated with varying forest management activities.

In developing trends, we will use the most current data, data from the 1970’s and, hopefully, an intermediate data point.

Unmanaged lands:  We will attempt to determine the distribution of forest conditions on unmanaged lands and apply forest growth models to examine productivity implications.

Data sources:

FIA

State Forestry Organizations

Literature

Industry Assn. Reports

Products:

1.  Tabular and graphical presentations of status and trends by ownerships, ecological units, and totals

2.  Tabular and graphical presentations of growth projection data

3.  Map presentations of selected measures

Collaborators and Sources:

State forestry organizations

University scientists

Other federal agency personnel

SRS Research Work Units

Links to other questions:

Distribution of ownerships from---Category I (1)

Effects on other ecosystem components and processes—Category II (4), Category 1 (4) and Category V (3 and 4)

Unresolved issues:

The level of resolution to which we can evaluate silvicultural practices is unknown, both from the standpoint of categorizing practices from data and the availability of prediction models for a wide range of practices over a wide range of forest types.

Our ability to develop an acceptable classification of conditions on unmanaged land must be examined, as well as the availability of projection models applicable to that range of conditions.

Where does effect of management on nutrient status/cycling go in this assessment

Definition and use of the term sustainability

Ecological classification consistency.

Literature:

Birch, Thomas W.  1994.  Private forest-land owners of the southern United States, 1994.

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 modified: 2-MAR-2000