"Sustainable forest management” implies that forest resources will be managed to supply goods and services to meet the current demands of society while conserving and renewing the availability, capacity and quality of the resource base for future generations. Internationally agreed definitions of sustainability involve social, environmental, and economic values. Management planning, at scales ranging from stands to eco-regions, gives variable weighting to each value depending on characteristics, stakeholder interests, and local values. Sustaining the environmental values of forest resources requires consideration of such ecosystem attributes as vegetation, soils, water, biodiversity, the productive capacity of soils and forested regions, and forest health. |
