Forest Health and Productivity: A Perspective of the Forestry Profession

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BACKGROUND
The health and productivity of forests in the United States is a subject of continuing interest. Many people, including professional foresters, believe there are serious forest health problems in many parts of the country.

Several years of study and discussion within the Society of American Foresters culminated in this report by the SAF national committee on forest health and productivity. The report was subsequently endorsed by the SAF Council. Its findings and conclusions are summarized below. Taken together as a set of principles and guidelines, they should foster understanding of the issue's complexity, and serve as a focal point for discussions which may lead to better analysis and resolution of forest health and productivity issues.

FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

• Forest health and forest productivity mean different things to different people.
• Assessment of forest health and forest productivity requires an understanding of both the condition of the forest and the forest management objectives for that forest. Objectives are set by landowners (private, public, tribal, trust) and by society through policy and regulation.
• Forests, forestry, and forest management objectives change over time.
• Issues of forest health share common themes, but regional and local differences (cultural, political, economic, and ecological) make each forest health issue unique.
• Forest health is an informal and technically inexact term.
• Forest health issues can be generally organized into four broad categories: forestland base, sustainable forestry, biodiversity, and human and natural influences.
• A single national prescription for forest health restoration is not appropriate because economic climate, cultural traditions, political dynamics, and ecological systems vary widely throughout the country.
• Foresters and their colleagues in other natural resource professions need to work closely together to clarify forest health objectives before some forest health issues can be resolved.
• To help promote understanding and assist in resolving these issues at local and regional levels, the report recommends approaches professional foresters may use in working with others in their communities to:
• Develop and articulate expectations of what our forests can provide;


• Identify forest health and forest productivity issues;


• Promote professional and public understanding of the issues; and


• Work continuously to enhance the health and productivity of the nation's forests.