Thursday, May 14, 2015
Issue Paper: Ecological Forestry
Resource Management Plans for Western Oregon
Background:
Ecological Forestry is a forest management philosophy that balances natural ecosystem processes
and active forest management techniques. Land managers who practice Ecological Forestry often
have multiple goals, including supporting biodiversity, resource extraction, and sustaining forest
health in perpetuity.
By using Ecological Forestry techniques, managers can proactively steward landscapes to enhance
and protect habitat, restore forest health, and create jobs. The planning team has incorporated
Ecological Forestry concepts into several alternatives for the draft Resource Management Plan. These
concepts are intended to aid natural forest development, manage natural disturbances, support local
communities, and protect fragile and important habitat areas.
Dry Forest: Drs. Franklin and Johnson have proposed a dry forest management approach that
includes “…reducing stand densities by thinning and restoring spatial heterogeneity by varying the
harvest treatments.” In all alternatives, the plan includes an uneven-aged forest management in the
Harvest Land Base that is comparable to Franklin and Johnson’s dry forest management approach.
Regeneration Harvest: Drs. Franklin and Johnson also propose “…regeneration harvest with
retention of approximately 30% of the preharvest stand.” In Alternative B, in the portion of the
Harvest Land Base within spotted owl critical habitat, the BLM’s forest management approach would
use regeneration harvest prescriptions comparable to Drs. Franklin and Johnson’s moist forest
regeneration harvest proposals.
Moist Forest Stand Reestablishment: Franklin and Johnson propose “…accommodating
development of diverse early seral ecosystems following regeneration harvest, by using less intense
approaches to site preparation and tree regeneration,” including not replanting harvested areas. In
Alternative B, in the portion of the Harvest Land Base within spotted owl critical habitat, the BLM
would not replant harvested areas and would rely on natural regeneration. Also, in Alternative B, in
portions of the Harvest Land Base outside of spotted owl critical habitat, the BLM would allow for
either replanting or relying on natural regeneration following harvest, but would keep the new stand
open for several decades to extend the duration of “…diverse early seral ecosystems.”
With regard to protection of older forests, Drs. Franklin and Johnson propose “protecting older
stands in moist forest…for their ecological and social significance.” In various venues and discussions,
Drs. Franklin and Johnson have proposed different age limits for moist forest stand protection,
ranging from 80 years to 160 years. In all action alternatives, the plan includes protection of older,
more structurally-complex forests for the purpose of contributing to the conservation and recovery
of the northern spotted owl.
Finally, consistent with the plan’s Purpose and Need, Drs. Franklin and Johnson propose protecting
“…older trees in dry forest for their ecological and social significance.” Franklin and Johnson focus on
the protection of older trees (150+ years old) in dry forests rather than entire stands. All action
alternatives would protect older stands in both moist and dry forests -- not just individual trees.
KEY POINTS:
•
•
•
•
•
Ecological Forestry is a forest management philosophy that balances natural ecosystem
processes and active forest management techniques;
The plan incorporates Ecological Forestry concepts in several alternatives;
These concepts, proposed by Forestry professors Drs. Johnson and Franklin, were designed
specifically for moist and dry forests in western Oregon; and
None of the alternatives incorporate all of Franklin and Johnson’s proposals, in part because
of differences between Franklin and Johnson’s stated goals and some elements of the Purpose
and Need Statement.
All action alternatives would protect older stands in both moist and dry forests -- not just
individual trees.
The Resource Management Plans (RMP) for Western Oregon will determine how the BLM-administered lands in western
Oregon will be managed to further the recovery of threatened and endangered species, to provide for clean water, to
restore fire-adapted ecosystems, to produce a sustained yield of timber products, to coordinate management of lands
surrounding the Coquille Forest with the Coquille Tribe, and to provide for recreation opportunities.
For more information, please visit the BLM’s Resource Management Plans of western Oregon website
at http://www.blm.gov/or/plans/rmpswesternoregon/index.php.