Sustainable Forestry
 Sustainable
forestry is defined as a dynamic, ecologically-based natural
resource management system that diversifies and sustains
forest and farmland for increased social, economic and environmental
benefits for all landowners and users. Woods harvesting that
is part of a sustainable forestry management plan minimizes
property damage and allows the land to be a renewable resource.
Benefits of Sustainable Land Management
Many landowners contend they don’t have the time or
money to take care of their woods. Good forest management,
however, doesn’t have to take a lot of time, even if
landowners don’t live on or near their land. Sustainable
woods co-ops and other associations are part of the solution
to good forest stewardship. By pooling resources for management
planning and other forestry services, owners can reap the
benefits of good land management.
Sustainable land management
provides a wide range of ecological, economic, and social
benefits for both owners and the general
public, and preserves these benefits for future generations.
Sustainable
forestry principles guide the development of a good land
management plan:
- Conserve the ecological integrity of the forest
ecosystem into perpetuity
- Maintain or improve the quality
of community life
- Address the goals landowners have for
their forests
- Maintain or improve the economic well-being
of forest owners and others who work in the forest industry
Ecological Benefits
- Habitat for wildlife
- Protection of watersheds and water supplies
- Absorption of carbon dioxide, buffering effects of global
warming
- Protection of soil from erosion
Social Benefits
- Recreational opportunities such as hunting, hiking, camping,
climbing, skiing and horseback riding
- Communities enjoy rewards of businesses and associations
that are home-grown and locally controlled
Economic Benefits
- Expanding market for sustainable hardwood for construction,
paper and furniture
- Non-timber forest products, including maple syrup, nuts
and mushrooms
- Program incentives and other financial assistance for
sustainable land management
The Risks of Doing Nothing
Landowners who choose not to participate
in conventional forestry practices will learn that just leaving
their land alone
will not be a viable option. Without a management plan,
deteriorating and overgrown forests will choke out valuable
trees, and unproductive farmland won’t be put to
better use to yield the economic and environmental returns
it could provide the landowner.
The Benefits of Landowner
Cooperation
Landowner cooperation helps those
who want an alternative to conventional individual forest
management
practices
to preserve forests for long-term growth and responsible
economic
productivity in their local communities.
To find out more
about sustainable forestry and forest owner cooperatives,
contact E.G. Nadeau, the WoodWorks
coordinator.
See Contact us. You can also order a copy of Balancing
Ecology and Economics: A Start-up Guide for Forest
Owner Cooperation for $10 plus $2 shipping and handling.
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