Achieving Sustainable Management of Boreal and Temperate Forests

Book excerpt: This collection reviews current research on balancing commercial use with the range of ecosystem services delivered by boreal and temperate forests. Chapters survey advances in understanding forest ecophysiology, including mechanisms of root and canopy development and the way forest tress react to abiotic stress. The book also discusses current understanding of the ecosystem services that forests deliver and how they can be balanced with activities such as logging. Building on this foundation, it then reviews advances in sustainable forest management techniques, including improvements in breeding, monitoring forest health, innovations in planting, stand management and regeneration as well as harvesting/felling. The book also reviews ways of managing, insect and fungal pests as well as natural hazards. The final section of the book assesses sustainable ways of developing and diversifying forest products, including novel uses of timber, biomass, non-timber products and recreational services.