Management and Use of Forests

1. Management and Use of Forests

2. Managed Woods • proper management • results in greater and more uniform growth than when trees are permitted to develop according to nature’s plan

3. Management practices • planting selected varieties of trees • some trees may be used for several purposes

4. Management • rate of growth should be considered • most important uses: timber and veneer

5. Management • length of time to maturity • faster growing trees have fewer uses

6. Management • Eucalyptus - one of the fastest growing • 15 inches in diameter in 40-50 years

7. Management • Black Walnut, Oak, Hard Maple • 100-125 years

8. Breeding Super Trees • select seeds of trees that are • fast growing • tallest • straightest

9. Breeding Super Trees • healthiest • raise super trees in nurseries

10. Controlling Insects and Disease • can be variety specific • an established disease or insect pest can be nearly impossible to eliminate

11. Insects and Disease • trees may develop immunity

12. Insect, Fungal, &Bacterial • Dutch Elm Disease - Fungus • carried by European Elm Bark Beetle

13. Insect, Fungal, &Bacterial • White Pine Blister Rust • lives part of its life cycle on an alternate host • wild gooseberries or currants

14. White Pine Blister Rust • to control the disease, destroy the alternate host • Gypsy Moth - problem with many types of trees

15. Fire Control • fires are nature’s way of controlling distribution and succession in forests • prepares some seeds for germination - Jack Pine

16. Fire Control • fires may add nutrients to the soil • destroy harmful insects • provides young shoots and new leaves and other vegetation for wildlife

17. Fire Control • controlled burn • practiced only with expert advice and under supervision

18. Selective harvesting • trees are thinned out each year in accordance with a plan • remaining trees grow faster, taller and healthier

19. Selective harvesting • wood is marketed, providing a steady source of income • sustained yield management

20. Clear Cutting • cutting off a sizeable plot of trees during one harvest period.

21. Clear Cutting • Wisdom of this practice is highly debated • Essential for commercial reforestation of some species

22. Clear Cutting • Severe soil erosion may occur

23. Small Land Owners • 70% of commercial forest land is held by private owners

24. Small Land Owners • More than 1/2 of saw timber in US is grown on land owned by small land owners or farmers

25. Small Land Owners • Less than 1/5 grown on land owned by large timber companies • Doing a better job of forest management

26. Small Land Owners • Conservation is profitable • Management involves few cash outlays

27. Small Land Owners • Obtain free advice from: • state or national foresters • timber company experts

28. Recreational Uses • Multiple use of national forests • national parks become more crowded

29. Recreational Uses • Forests provided additional space and scenery • Increase in forest visits

30. Recreational Uses • Visits to forests for recreational purposes are increasing at a rate of 10% per year

31. Wilderness • Unsettled, uncultivated natural region

32. The Wilderness Act • Dec. 19, 1964 • permanent protection to millions of acres • open to public input

33. Alaska Nat’l Interest.. • Lands Conservation Act • Dec. 2, 1980 • Increased protected wilderness area in US to 56.6 million acres

34. Wilderness • Additional land under study for wilderness designation • Bureau of Land Management

35. Wilderness • Has until 1991 to complete process of wilderness designation

36. Wilderness • met with some opposition

37. Better use of forest • Decrease waste, increase efficiency • Particle board • paper recycling

38. Better use of Forest • Plastics are being substituted for wood in many products