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Executive Summary
Pages 1-14

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From page 1...
... Intervention by President Clinton in 1993 led to adoption of the Northwest Forest Plan. This brought about a sharp reduction in federal timber harvests, the establishment of substantial areas of old-growth reserves, and adoption of environmentally sensitive forest practices on federal forests.
From page 2...
... Much of the disagreement regarding policies and protocols in forest management is associated with the relative priorities that should be assigned to each of those goals. THE REGION Significant intraregional variation exists among Pacific Northwest forests.
From page 3...
... THE DYNAMICS OF PAC/F/C NORTHWEST LANDSCAPES Disturbances such as fire, wind, and insect and pathogen outbreaks occur naturally in all Pacific Northwest forest types, although the frequency, intensity, and spatial extent of such disturbances vary considerably. Such variations generate different patterns of forest
From page 4...
... Suppression of light surface fires has resulted in increased accumulation of fuels in many Pacific Northwest forests. That has been especially important in the ponderosa pine forests of the Eastside and in Idaho and Montana.
From page 5...
... The multiple threats to biodiversity caused by past forestry practices and the effects of lost biodiversity on ecosystem processes and sustainability demand a new approach to forest management that acknowledges the connection between biodiversity and the sustained provision of commodities and amenities from forests. Further cutting of Me remaining late successional and old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest is expected to cause rapidly accelerating threats to the biological diversity of the region.
From page 6...
... oIc[-growth forests shout have an important role in an overall strategy for forest management in the region. Not ail ecosystem types are represented on public lancis in the Pacific Northwest-examples of gaps in coverage include lowland floodplain forests, oak woodlands, and coastal tidal marshes.
From page 7...
... ) trees (the exact number and size thresholds to qualify as old growth vary among forest types)
From page 8...
... But it is clear that the reductions in federal timber harvests in the Pacific Northwest favor some kinds of game and nongame species of wildlife over others, affect hunting conditions, improve habitat for fisheries, and maintain opportunities for recreation in the region. Sustaining the increased level of timber harvests in the South, which come mainly from private forests, will require more intensive management practices because of the reduction in federal timber harvests in the
From page 9...
... At We same time, some communities heavily dependent on federal timber harvests have had a difficult time, although even these impacts have been eased by the region's buoyant economy. As with other kinds of rural communities dependent on extractive resources, rural communities in the region are experiencing the overall
From page 10...
... Alternative mechanisms for dispute resolution need to be examined and their appropriateness for situations such as that in the Pacific Northwest evaluated. Recommendation: Experience with FEMAT, the Northwest Forest Plan, and other processes used to help resolve disputes over Pacific Northwest forestry practices should be used to explore alternative mechanisms for dispute resolution.
From page 11...
... Higher timber prices provide financial incentives for investments in timber production, such as postharvest site treatment, fertilizer application, and precommercial and commercial thinning. -- ~ However, uncertainty regarding interpretation of the Endangered Species Act may be creating incentives for premature timber harvest and reduced management levels on some private lands.
From page 12...
... Uncertainty results from complex, often unpredictable interactions among ecosystem elements, limited ecological understanding and poorly developed principles upon which models of ecosystem behavior can be constructed, and poor data quality, sampling bias and analytical errors. Although risks can be reduced, managers cannot eliminate surprises.
From page 13...
... Specific areas of research in need of increased funding and attention include the following: · the relationship of natural disturbances to the sustainability of protected and managed Pacific Northwest forests and the extent to which the effects of these disturbances can be simulated by management practices; · the relative importance of legacies and their role in maintaining forests and regenerating harvested areas, and the extent to which management actions can "create" legacies; · the role of insects and pathogens in sustaining natural processes in Pacific Northwest forests and factors involved in insect and pathogen outbreaks in the region; · forest restoration methods and their role in restoring and maintaining forest vitality; · the impacts of forest-management practices, including timber harvesting, on the production of nonwood forest products, including recreation and special forest products such as wild-grown mushrooms; · information for making accurate assessments of the impacts of changes in forest practices on regional and local employment and income;
From page 14...
... 74 Pacific Northwest Forests · impacts of changes in forest practices In the Pacific Northwest on biological and nonbiological factors within the region and in other affected regions; · continued basic research on the biological functioning and interactions of the multitude of life forms present in the Pacific Northwest forests. The importance of adequate research funding to develop these kinds of information is shown by the duration and intensity of the conflict over the management of Pacific Northwest forests.


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