Sustainable National Forest Management

April 1, 1997 Resolutions

Number: 1997-04

 

WHEREAS, the United States manages over 170 million acres of National Forests and national grasslands under the U.S. Forest Service; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Forest Service should provide leadership nationally and internationally in sustainable forest management; and

WHEREAS, the United States made an international commitment in 1994 to achieve sustainable management of U.S. Forests by the year 2000; and

WHEREAS, past management of the National Forests in the United States has been dominated by development of timber resources, often at the expense of other resource values; and

WHEREAS, National Forests provide outstanding benefits to the American public, including watershed protection, habitat for fish and wildlife populations, recreation opportunities, and other benefits; and

WHEREAS, we recognize that human actions can have a significant impact on ecosystem health; and

WHEREAS, with increasing demands on our resource base, we must develop management strategies for sustainable ecosystems and sustainable human communities, that recognize the growing importance of forests for maintenance of biological diversity and preservation of wilderness and open space, not just a sustainable yield of timber products from the forests; and

WHEREAS, old assumptions about forest management techniques and community stability must be replaced with new ideas and accurate information on the functions and productivity of ecosystems and the relationship between healthy ecosystems and sustainable human communities; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that would 1) substantially reduce public involvement in National Forest management, 2) put limits on sustainable management of the forests, and 3) allow the states to manage and eventually own National Forests;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the National Wildlife Federation in its Annual Meeting assembled on April 3-6, 1997 in Tucson, Arizona, that the following principles shall apply to sustainable management of the National Forests of the United States:

  1. The National Forests shall be managed to perpetuate a representative and balanced pattern of ecosystems with a variety of different species and structures of forests, including old growth, which can withstand short-term and long-term environmental stresses.
  2. National Forest management shall focus on the identification, protection and restoration of flora and fauna and their habitats including climax canopy cover where such cover naturally occurs and recurring natural regeneration of all native species on the site using appropriate silvicultural techniques.
  3. Attention and protection must be afforded to the fundamental relationship between the status and quality of soil and water resources and organisms and the long-term ecological productivity of forests.
  4. The use of prescribed fire is a viable and often necessary management tool in forests and grasslands where fire suppression has allowed fuel loads to build to catastrophic levels or where other benefits would result, such as improved wildlife habitat or controlling exotic plant species.
  5. The National Forests need to provide opportunities for dispersed recreation, such as hunting, fishing, trapping, wildlife viewing, and nature study, in such a way that prevents ecological damage, protects ecosystem characteristics, and provides ecosystem-oriented educational opportunities for the public.
  6. National Forests have unique combinations of resources that provide environmental, cultural, and commodity services and resources to local communities, which need to be recognized. The Forest Service must take the lead in identifying the range of resource outputs that are biologically and physically possible, given the limits of productivity of the ecosystem.
  7. The U.S. Forest Service needs to institute a process to resolve conflicts arising from the provision of dispersed recreational opportunities, involving public land users in that process.
  8. The public, which owns, uses and enjoys the National Forests and their resources, must have a role in decisions regarding management and use of the forest resources.
  9. The National Forests must be retained in national public ownership and managed by the U.S. Forest Service.