Why Manage Forests?
Forests change. They change in response to natural events like wind storms and fires, they change in response to climate variations, they change as a result of animal use, and they change as a result of human activity. Forests even change over time as trees age and are replaced by others. Whether we like it or not and even if we do nothing ourselves, forests change. Forest management is a human attempt to push this inevitable change toward some goal set by the landowner or society at large. These goals may include clean water, abundant animals for hunting, pleasant views, plant diversity, recreation opportunities, and wood products to name but a few. Many goals can be achieved simultaneously on the same ground while others must be pursued separately in either time or place. Meeting any goal, though, is more quickly done through active management rather than by waiting for nature to take its course. Foresters are professionals who possess a formal education in forest science and have ex
