Are there effective approaches to maintaining ecosystems that do not require imitating natural dynamics?
It is possible that approaches to ecosystem management which do not rely exclusively on the range of natural variability can provide for native species and ecosystems. For example, disturbances of moderate intensity and frequency can enhance biodiversity compared to disturbances of high or low intensity and frequency in some ecosystems (Connell 1978). Therefore it may be possible to use carefully planned management disturbances which aren’t “native” to a particular area (e.g. partial cutting similar to the effects of moderate-intensity fire in moist coastal forests) to enhance habitats for species of concern. In addition, the range of natural variability may have been a function of disturbances and succession operating at the landscape scale (e.g. large fires and large blocks of old-growth) which could not be recreated in current mixed-ownership landscapes if only a portion of the landscape will be managed to sustain native biodiversity. (Approximately 1/3 of the lands in the Oregon Co
