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In
its truest and most simple form, sustainable forestry works to mimic the
natural processes of a forest, while addressing the economic needs of individual
landowners and communities. Sustainable forestry incorporates sustainable
timber supply and harvest, natural processes, economic resources in the forest,
and the welfare of resource-dependent communities.
There
are seven primary goals of sustainable forestry:
1. Ensuring the long-term health
of timber production;
2. Promoting economic vitality for
individuals and communities;
3. Protecting and improving soil,
water, and air quality;
4. Providing wildlife habitat;
5. Maintaining native ecosystems;
6. Protecting
high conservation value forests;
7. Maintaining recreational
opportunities and aesthetic values.
Southern
forests
have long been an important aspect of the culture and heritage of the region,
yet today their future is threatened.
Southern forestlands harbor some of the
greatest wildlife diversity in the world, and provide
recreational opportunities, clean water, and valuable forest
products. 72% of Southern forestlands are owned by private,
non-industrial landowners and provide 71% of the timber
harvested in the region.
There are more
threatened forested ecosystems in the South than any other part of the U.S., and
it is estimated that more than one million acres of our forests will be
developed each year. Private forestlands must be preserved and managed
sustainably to maintain wildlife habitat and the long-term viability of
forest-based economies.
Between
1992 and 2020, the South is expected to lose 12 million acres of forested land,
8% of that to developed uses. An additional 19 million acres of forests
will be converted to developed uses between 2020 and 2040. In addition to
this conversion of forest land, sixty percent of all logging in the United
States occurs in the South, where each year 5.3 million acres are heavily
logged. By 2040, 8 million acres in the South will be logged yearly.
Logging is an important component of forest management, and it is critical that
it be done properly as a component of long-term forest management, especially at
such high levels. In addition, if current projections hold, by 2040,
-
270+ million acres
of southern forests will be cut
-
64 million acres
will be sprayed with herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers
-
The area of natural
forests will decline by 25 million acres
-
The South will gain
22 million acres in industrial plantations
-
30 million acres of
forest will be lost to sprawl
 The
forests of the South
are the most
productive in the U.S. and produce more timber than any other region or
country in the world. Forest-based economic development creates multiple
economic benefits for rural communities such as:
-
opportunities for
landowners to derive income from their forest while maintaining
other forest values
-
local jobs for
loggers, foresters, and others who work in the forest
-
local processing that
creates good jobs and keeps profits from forest harvests in the
community
-
construction and
other trades that specialize in the use of local timber
-
retailing,
recreation, and tourism opportunities such as camping, hunting,
fishing, and woodcrafts.
 Across
the South,
communities are organizing to
conserve forestlands and create strong forest-based economies:
Landowners
are preserving their forestland for wilderness and recreation values, and
using sustainable management to produce timber and other forest products.
Forestry
consultants
who specialize in sustainable management are showing landowners how to
preserve, restore, and derive income from their forests without compromising
any of their goals.
Loggers
and harvesters
with a
commitment to maintaining the ecological health and productivity of forests
are using restoration and low-impact harvesting techniques to produce
high-value timber and other products.
Craftspeople
and Businesses
are creating
value-added forest products such as building materials, furniture, and
medicinal plant products. These enterprises create good jobs, keep economic
returns in local communities, and keep ownership in local hands.
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