Abstract
Silvicultural practices used on national forests are changing as a result of the shift to ecosystem management. As a result, the species mix, size, quality, and quantity of woody material that may be removed are changing. In a combined, multidisciplinary effort, Forest Service research units at the Forest Products Laboratory, Pacific Northwest and Southern Research Stations, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, and national forests in Regions 6, 8, and 9 have been identifying wood utilization options for managing specific ecosystems. Teams have been focusing research on three conditions: dense small-diameter stands in the West, uneven-aged pine/mixed hardwood stands in the South, and central Appalachian hardwood forests in the Northeast. The teams are evaluating alternatives for silvicultural treatments, forest operations, and wood products, as well as the economic feasibility of these alternatives. The project objective is to provide information and methods for evaluating opportunities for current and future products from woody materials that may be removed from the forests.
Keywords
forest health,
silviculture,
forest management,
partnerships,
ecosystem management,
wood utilization,
wood products
Citation
Skog, Kenneth E.; Green, David; Barbour, R. James; Baumgras, John E.; Clark, Alexander; Mason, Andrew; Meriwether, David A.; Myers, Gary C. 1995. Building partnerships to evaluate wood utilization options for improving forest health. In: L. G. Eskew, comp. Forest health through silviculture: proceedings of the 1995 National Silviculture Workshop, Mescalero, New Mexico, May 8-11, 1995. Gen. Tech. Rep. RM-GTR-267. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station: 153-161
