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Email: asd@eva.org
 

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Sustainable Forestry and Wood Products

What Is Sustainable Forestry?

SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT

Sustainable forestry is a balance of three things: maintaining ecological integrity, meeting the landowner's needs and desires, and providing societal benefits.

When the ecological integrity of a forest is protected, the natural processes that occur within that forest are protected. The natural hydrology is maintained, the forest soils are protected, and the habitat for naturally occurring plants and animals flourishes. Unique or rare aspects of the forest are protected. Examples include putting a non-harvest zone around a spring, or excluding harvesting of timber from the steepest slopes.

The goals of landowners can vary widely. Some people want to manage their land to attract wildlife, and they might enjoy recreational activities such as hunting or wildlife viewing there. Others may be interested in profitably managing their forests for timber. Some may be interested in protecting the health of the forest or the quality of the water that comes off it. Many of the goals that people have for their property are compatible with sustainable forest management.

The benefits of sustainable forest management extend not only to the landowner, but to the land itself, and subsequently, to society in general. Protecting water quality will benefit all who are downstream of the forest. Protecting the ecological integrity of the land creates a haven for plants and animals which depend on certain natural habitats. By preserving this diversity, we create a legacy for future generations.

While we respect and encourage those landowners who do not wish to harvest timber from their property, our own program considers timber production as a valid part of sustainable forestry.

PROBLEMS IN FORESTRY TODAY

Here in the Central Appalachian region of southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee, we believe that our forests our suffering from numerous problems and threats. While some issues, such as global warming, air pollution (acid rain, ozone), and invasion of exotic plants, insects, and diseases are beyond our mandate, we are attempting to address the following six issues:

Increasing Wood Consumption
Decreasing Timber Land Base
Increasing Timber Extraction Rates
Increasing Harvest Pressure on Private Lands
Declining Timber Quality
Poor Logging Practices

Clearcut on private land, a by-product of increasing demand for cheap wood.

What follows is evidence of these problems and threats:

Increasing U.S. Wood Consumption

In the last 35 years, U.S. consumption of forest products has increased at the rate of 1.9% per year, and is expected to increase 0.9% per year in the next 50 years (2000 RPA Timber Assessment).

According to Dr. David Smith, 2002 Vice-President of the Society of American Foresters, consumption of all wood-based products by the American people exceeded U.S. production by an average of 4.8% over the 10-year period from 1985 to 1994. Dr. Smith believes consumption exceeds production by at least 6-7% today. This excess of consumption over production is being increasingly met by foreign imports.
Decreasing and Fragmenting Timberland in Virginia

From 1976 to 1992, a net of 673,000 acres, or about 2.65% of the total land area of Virginia, was converted from forest to other uses (Johnson 1992, Liu and Scrivani 1997).

Furthermore, forestland is becoming increasingly fragmented as urban and suburban development reaches into the countryside. The average private ownership in Virginia is now about 29 acres of forest land (Birch et al., 1998).
Increasing Timber Extraction Rates In Southwest Virginia

Considering land suitable for timber production, evidence compiled by the Virginia Department of Forestry (1997) indicates that annual removals in Southwest Virginia are now exceeding annual net growth at a ratio of 1.64 to 1 (Liu and Scrivani 1997). The authors of this study concluded that: "If only suitable rural forest land is considered to be the basis for long-term sustainability, current levels of consumption meet or exceed current growth."
Increasing Harvest Pressure On Private Lands

Drastically reduced timber harvest on National Forests, from 12.7 billion board feet (bbf) in 1987 to less than 3.0 bbf in 2000.

92% of hardwood removals in Virginia between 1986-1992 came from non-industrial private forest (NIPF) land, which is 83% of the timberland base.
Declining Quality Of The Timber Resource On Private Lands.
A recent study in Tennessee indicates that the proportion of quality veneer and grade 1 sawlogs used by sawmills has steadily declined, from over 64% of the total in the 1950's to 30% in the 1990's. In addition, sawmills are having to travel farther to obtain their timber supply.

Meanwhile a recent report by the USDA Forest Service shows a substantial difference in timber quality between national forests and private lands in the Appalachian region (Luppold and Baumgrass 1998).

Among the studies conclusions:
- The current high volumes of quality red oak in the national forests of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia are the result of long-term management of these national forests versus the heavy sutting of the valuable species on adjacent lands.
- A significant portion of the timber on private lands has been high-graded or cut prior to becoming grade 1 sawtimber.

Poor Logging Practices

A June 2000 audit by Virginia Department of Forestry found that:
- only 14% of tracts audited in southwest Virginia had 100% of Best Management Practices properly applied to protect water quality
- active water quality problems exist at 43% of the sites.

Horse logged site, High Knob, Virginia

WHAT IS ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY?

As we stated earlier, sustainable forestry seeks to balance three components: ecological integrity, landowner needs and desires, and societal benefits. But what exactly do we mean by "ecological integrity"?

For ASD ecological integrity means the following:

Mimic Natural Processes. Forest management should mimic natural processes, for example, snags (standing dead trees) and coarse woody debris (dead and downed trees) are a natural part of the forest cycle, serving as habitat for various forest creatures and are important for recycling nutrients from plants back to the soil.
Mimic Natural Disturbance Regimes. The various tree species within our Appalachian hardwood forests have each evolved and adapted to natural disturbances. Management systems such as single-tree selection, group selection, and shelterwood harvests, seek to mimic these various natural disturbances in order to regenerate a diverse mix of desired tree species.
Promote Plant and Animal Diversity. While we may wish to encourage more financially-valuable tree species, we realize the forest is an interconnected web of plants, animals, fungi, and other living things. A diverse web makes for a strong web. Therefore, except for exotic species, sustainable forestry tries to maintain and improve forest diversity.
Maintain Soil Productivity. Did you know that one teaspoon of healthy soil may contain over 10,000 different species of organisms? The soil, with its mix of minerals, air, water, organic matter, and living organisms, is the basis for healthy plant and tree growth. Sustainable forest management seeks to protect this soil, by minimizing soil erosion during logging, and by allowing natural processes such as log decay to cycle nutrients and organic matter.
Protect Water Quality. Springs, creeks, streams, sinkholes, wetlands, and lakes are habitats for many fragile species, as well as a source of recreation and drinking water for humans. Good forest management maintains water quality and quantity through maintenance of forest cover and applying Best Management Practices during harvest operations.
Protect Unique and Fragile Areas. Areas such as rocky bluffs, caves, seeps, and waterfalls can be sources of visual beauty, as well as habitat for many threatened and endangered species. Through inventory and planning, sustainable forest management can recognize, avoid, and protect these areas during timber harvest operations.

SUSTAINABLE TIMBER HARVESTING: WHAT IS CUT AND HOW IT'S CUT

WHAT is cut, and HOW it's cut, are two important components of sustainable forest management.

In the Appalachian region, many forests are indiscriminately clearcut (in which all the trees are taken) or high-graded (in which only the best trees of the most valuable species are taken). In these cases, WHAT TREES ARE CUT and what trees are left is guided by short-term profit motives only. Under sustainable forest management, the current condition of the forest, its future regeneration, and the balanced needs of the landowner and society all help determine which trees to cut and which to leave. Under sustainable forest management, a continuous, productive mix of top-grade, high-value tree species is both a short- and long-term goal.

HOW THE TREES ARE CUT also affects the long-term productivity of the forest. Directional felling with a chain saw removes trees without damaging those remaining. Applying Best Management Practices, such as proper road construction and stream crossings, protects water quality and soil productivity. Choosing the proper harvesting equipment for the job and the terrain, be it horses, rubber-tired skidders, or cable-yarder systems, also has a positive effect on the remaining forest.

IMPORTANCE OF UTILIZATION / UTILIZATION ISSUES

CERTIFICATION


References:

Birch, T.W., S.S. Hodge, and M.T. Thompson. 1998. Characterizing Virginiaâs Private Forest Owners and Their Forest Lands. USDA Forest Service Research Paper NE-707.
Liu and Scrivani. 1997. Virginia Forest Land Assessment. Virginia Department of Forestry, Charlottesville, VA.
Johnson, T.G. 1992. Forest Statistics for Virginia, 1992. Resource Bulleting SE-131.
Thompson, M.T. 1992. Forest Statistics for the Southern Mountains of Virginia, 1992. USDA Forest Service Resource Bulleting SE-130.
Jonakin. J. 2001. Survey of Tennessee sawmills: a report on changes affecting the industry. Dept. of Economics, Finance and Marketing, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville TN.
Luppold, W.G. and J.E. Baumgras. 1998. Analysis of Hardwood Sawtimber Quality and Changes in Timber Sales on Appalachian National Forests. Pp. 191-196 in Proceedings of the 1998 Southern Forest Economics Workshop, March 25-27, 1998, Williamsburg, VA.
 

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