SAX, without doing any research myself, I imagine there are hundreds of articles on this subject in various newspapers, especially out West. I say this because, with major portions of the West burning down this summer, the question of how the forests should be managed (and whether the Forest Service is doing a good job or not) is a real hot-button topic currently, at least out here. Specifically, the Forsest Service’s general policy not to allow logging or culling of dead wood on FS land is being scrutinized. Some people (pro-logging, mostly) assert that it was 40+ years of this policy which left the forests so choked with dead wood and tinder that they all went up in flames this year. These people say this proves that selective logging and subsequent reforestation is actually good for the forest. The anti-logging people say this is bullshit, of course, and that large-scale forest fires are a cyclical (and expected) event. Anyway, the issue of forest management is being extensively debated as we speak, due to the still-burning fires. Check the on-line versions of Western newspapers, and you should be able to find lots of articles. For the best coverage for Montana in particular, you might check the Billings Gazette. I’d also look in the Denver Post, the Seattle paper, and some papers in Northern California, because I know they’ve had some real problems there too.
(Forestry is under the Department of Agriculture rather than the Department of the Interior. The Interior Department does have the similar Bureau of Land Management that deals with most of the Western Forests along the Rockies (not so much through the Sierra Nevada or Cascades).
I love you guys, thanks! Your suggestions are fabulous.
In case anyone is interested, this is the story on why I’m doing this research:
My brother works for a large, private summer camp/summer high school. The property consists of over 500 acres, a lot of it heavily forested. He is proposing to chop down the dead and non-native trees, clear some underbrush and replant. He has tagged 450 trees (out of 100,000+) and someone has made an offer to buy the lumber for $30,000 - all proceeds to the summer camp.
Some person (who remained anonymous until last week) circulated a petition to keep the forests the way they are and is making a big stink about the logging. My brother has to justify it and I’m trying to help him out with relevant info. If it turns out not to be in the forests’ best interest, he said he would change his mind.
CSA International can provide you with an international standard on sustainable forestry. Call (416) 747-4000. I don’t know much about the standard myself, to be honest.
It is the U.S. Forest Service, not the Forestry Service, please!
Your brother can find out much information from
the nearest School of Forestry–located generally in the Land Grant College in your home state. That will be the university that has a College of Agriculture. Look up the University web site and look for Department or College of Forest Resources or Forestry. Sometimes Forestry is located in a College of Natural REsources or College of AGriculture. Look for a professor who specializes in silviculture–that is the art and science of managing forests. For instance, here is UGA’s website: http://www.uga.edu/wsfr/
Many states have Extension Foresters, also located at the state land grant college who are available for assistance.
The Society of American Foresters is the professional organization for foresters: http://www.safnet.org/index.html
The National Association of State Foresters has links to most state forestry organizations–your state probably has local county or district foresters who can assist your brother with his problem. http://www.stateforesters.org/
Your brother wants to talk to a Forester–someone who is a graduate of a forestry college accredited by the Society of American Foresters. Many US Forest Service District Rangers and other field professionals are not graduate foresters. Look under Foresters or consulting foresters in the phone book to find someone local. Who knows, since this project is charitable, he might find a consultant who would be willing to spend a little time for free giving him some advice. At any rate, a forester from your state agency or a state Extension Forester could give him some time and advice.
Good luck!
He might get some help from that state’s Department of Natural Resources. They should be able to provide local and on-site analysis of his proposal. (Of course, in many states, the DNR is looked at as “the enemy” of responsible thinking. It’s hard to tell how much of this is due to stupid decisions by various state DNR bureacracies and how much is due to the DNR goring someone’s ox.)
As to the anti-logger, someone might want to point out that “leaving the forest alone” has led to the current western conflagrations. I don’t think that turning loggers loose without supervision is the appropriate answer, but even the paper and logging industry has begun to come up with legitimate ways to use logging in an environmentally friendly manner.
Again, this is not the issue. Are you in the ecology business or the wood production business? Clearing out the dead trees will have a very significant negative impact on the area wildlife. Some amount of thinning (ie getting rid of closely spaced small live trees) can be beneficial. And, controlled burns are very necessary to forest management. The controlled burns are good for both wildlife and trees. Raging giant forest fires are bad.
We currently have a 20,000 acre arson fire burning in central louisiana. Its been smokey for days.
As a slight aside – the reasion this years forest fires are out of control is the lack of fires in the past
More properly put – Every year lightening strikes start fires in out national forests. These fires would burn out the dead and fallen brush out of the forests, but normally do not burn hot enough to catch live trees on fire.
But, in recent (last 20) all fires that are found in our forests are put out. This has led to an accumulation of underbrush that would normally be burnt out naturally. Then something sparks off the large amount of underbrush, and the fire rages out of control…
Depends on which forest ecosystem, too. Think old-growth coastal Washington State vrs. drier East Cascades… all, of course, dependent on what you want to “manage” it for.
Also try the American Forest & Paper Association. The information they give might be a little industry-biased, but part of their raison d’etre is to promote responsible, private management of forests and they probably have a links page to more info.