Is My Forest Well-Managed? A Checklist for Sustainability By Lisa DeBruyckere, Winter 2008

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1 Is My Forest Well-Managed? A Checklist for Sustainability By Lisa DeBruyckere, Winter 2008 Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them. Paul Hawken, Growing a Business It s an awesome responsibility being a family forest owner. Think about it. You re providing food, water and cover for native wildlife species and are on the lookout for the symptoms of invasive microorganisms such as alder root rot and sudden oak death that could threaten healthy forests. You re caring for an investment that you either made or inherited, and may pass down to the next generation. You re growing a renewable natural resource and a business. The products from your forest from hazelnuts and Christmas trees to 2x4s and cedar siding may be found in homes throughout the world. Your spot on the map contributes to a broader forested landscape that crosses geographical and political boundaries and helps define quality of life for those that live nearby. You work hard every day, estimating the outcomes of your management decisions, knowing it could take decades to realize the fruits of your labor. How do you know if you re doing a good job? How do you know if you own a well-managed forest? The definitions of a well-managed forest are as limitless as the number of public groups with an expressed interest in forests and that s a considerable amount. Your state foresters realized that in 2003 when they convened a series of committees to help forest landowners and managers determine if their management practices were resulting in well-managed, sustainable forests. The Sustainable Forest Management and Resource Management Committees goal was to help the public cut to the chase, not to define a wellmanaged forest, but to articulate a series of principles that are considered when landowners plan, implement and assess their forests. The seven principles of a well-managed forest are as follows: 1. Contribute to the conservation of biological diversity of the forest and the landscape in which it resides. 2. Maintain or improve productive capacity. 3. Maintain the health and vigor of the forest and its landscape/watershed. 4. Protect soil and water resources. 5. Consider carbon cycles. 6. Consider socioeconomic benefits and impacts. 7. Comply with laws and legally adopted rules and implement applicable guidelines in states not using a regulatory approach.

2 Principles are fine, but how do you determine if you re successfully addressing these principles? The National Association of State Foresters went one step further by describing what you need to achieve for each of the principles a sort of checklist that helps you interpret large, innocuous terms such as biodiversity and productive capacity. Every type of forest landowner, from brand new to seasoned and large to small, can benefit from an occasional stroll through this checklist. We ll walk through each of the seven principles and corresponding considerations. 1. Contribute to the conservation of biological diversity of the forest and the landscape in which it resides. a. Do you seek available expertise to assess biodiversity considerations at the site and landscape level? b. Do you identify and address the protection or enhancement of rare and endangered species? c. Do you factor forest dynamics, major disturbances and catastrophic events in how you make decisions about your forest? 2. Maintain or improve productive capacity. a. Do you identify significant non-timber products and map the productive capacity of the forest for timber? b. Do you determine growth, mortality and harvest rates of forest types? c. Do you successfully plan and implement regeneration after harvest? d. Are you maintaining long-term site capacity? e. Are you harvesting, using and marketing efficiently? f. Do you use trained loggers and contractors? g. Do you use appropriate expertise for wildlife management issues? h. Do you identify and consider habitats, including sites at environmental risk and with ecological/cultural uniqueness? 3. Maintain the health and vigor of the forest and its landscape/watershed. a. Do you manage tree species selection, stocking levels, spacing, age-class distribution, regeneration methods, insect and disease outbreaks, fuel loads and wildfires to reduce risk and ensure long-term forest vigor? b. Do you address fuel loads, insect and disease populations, and overall forest vigor? c. Do you have in place approaches to monitoring, prevention and incident response, and do you include cooperation with local, state and federal agencies and neighboring landowners? d. Do you manage grazing to prevent negative impacts?

3 e. Do you address introduction and spread of invasive plants and animals? 4. Protect soil and water resources. a. Does your active forest management plan use current mapped data on soils and terrain? b. Do you recognize and plan for storm dynamics? c. Do you protect soil stability, water quality and soil productivity? d. Do you have in place and follow appropriate guides and plans that address road placement, design, maintenance and retirement, especially at stream crossings? e. Do you plan for and conduct fire use, management and response? f. Do you understand, incorporate into your forest management plan, and comply with state Best Management Practices? g. Do you consider wetland hydrological function and aquatic habitat in your management actions? 5. Consider carbon cycles. a. Have you considered carbon cycles in your forest management plan? 6. Consider socioeconomic benefits and impacts. a. Do you use sound economic approaches and consider both long-term and short-term goals when harvesting both wood and non-wood products? b. Do you use available resources to identify, manage and protect unique forest features? c. As part of your forest management plan, do you consider unique biological, ecological, geological and cultural sites? 7. Comply with laws and rules and implement applicable guidelines in states not using a regulatory approach. a. Do you follow local, state and federal laws, regulations and state Best Management Practices? b. Do you plan, conduct and comply with safety rules during your operations? c. Do you consider the impacts on neighbors and the community during operations? d. Do you plan for and consider aesthetics in operations? e. Do you only convert to other land uses according to local land use plans and ordinances? How did you do? Did you answer no more than yes in any one particular area? If so, help of all kinds state and federal educational, technical and financial is available to you to achieve the seven principles described above (see sidebar). Educational assistance comes in the form of workshops, seminars

4 and publications. Technical assistance can include on-site visits or questions you may have about specific regulations such as the Endangered Species Act. Financial assistance could include cost-share, grants, easements and more. So the next time someone asks you if you re doing a good job managing your forest, you can speak with authority and a checklist for your forest that s backed by every state forester in the union. Lisa DeBruyckere is owner of Creative Resource Strategies, LLC, a company in Salem, Ore., dedicated to helping organizations with their communication needs. She can be reached at or lisad@createstrat.com. Her website is Sidebar Available Landowner Resources Forest landowners need educational, technical and financial assistance to achieve their goals. The following is a sampling of resources available to forest landowners in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Assistance is available including everything from developing a forest management plan to costsharing specific projects. Federal Programs Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS): USDA Forest Service Landowner Assistance Programs: The Private Landowner Network: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Private Stewardship Grants Program: Washington Resources for family forest owners: Financial assistance program for family forests: Government programs: Non-government assistance programs: Accredited Washington State Master Loggers: Consulting foresters: Photo and map products and services:

5 Washington State University National Resources Science Extension Forestry: Oregon Educational assistance: Forestry incentive programs (includes information about eligibility, afforestation incentive, conservation reserve program, conservation enhancement, environmental incentives, forest resource trust, forest stewardship plans, forest land enhancement, noxious weed control, tax credit, watershed enhancement board, wetlands reserve program, wildlife habitat incentives, and other incentive programs): Oregon State University Forestry Extension Program: Oregon Forest Products Directory: Idaho Private forestry specialists and advisors: ww.idl.idaho.gov/bureau/forestassist/contact/bfa_contact.htm University of Idaho Cooperative Extension: Montana Montana State University Extension Forestry: Montana forest landowners network: Miscellaneous Timber tax information: Tree nurseries: