The continuing evolution in social, economic and political values related to forestry in the United States and in Europe
Year: 2008
Type: report
Abstract: More than a century ago, Europe and the United States approached forest management quite differently. Europe’s degraded forests were being replanted and managed for sustained yields of timber, through strong forest protection laws and conservation programs imposed by authoritarian governments. North America still had vast tracts of untouched timber, and in its democratic, capitalist culture, a conservation movement was only beginning to have an effect. By the end of the 20th century, both continents had embraced multiple-use forestry to meet the complex demands of their respective societies. Europeans and North Americans are now revisiting forest management because the political and social context has changed. Ecosystem management and sustainable forestry seek to maintain the composition, structure, and functions of forest ecosystems in the long term, guided by explicit goals, executed by well researched practices, and made adaptable to human environmental interactions and processes. Differences remain. But full convergence is neither necessary nor desirable. We can better face the future if we learn from each other’s successes and inevitable failures in forest management. The knowledge gained from our different approaches to forest management will help us contribute to forestry beyond our borders, especially in the development of the world’s boreal forests and the forests of the Southern Hemisphere.
Language: English
Topic: Forest Management and Policy
Subfield: Forestry
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2483974480