Five Anthropogenic Factors That Will Radically Alter Forest Conditions and Management Needs in the Northern United States

• DOI: 10.5849/forsci.13-153
• Publication Date: 2014-04-21T12:33:48Z
• Authors: Stephen R. Shifley; W. Keith Moser; David J. Nowak; Patrick D. Miles; Brett J. Butler; Francisco X. Aguilar; Ryan D. DeSantis; Eric J. Greenfield
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; veterinary and food sciences; 13. Climate action; agricultural; 11. Sustainability; forestry; life on land; forestry sciences; 15. Life on land; 01 natural sciences; 333

The Northern United States includes the 20 states bounded by Maine, Maryland, Missouri, and Minnesota. With 70 million ha of forestland 124 people, it is most densely forested (42% land area) populated (74 people/km2) quadrant States. Three recent, large-scale, multiresource assessments forest conditions provide insight about trends issues in North, collectively these other supporting documents highlight factors that will be extraordinarily influential large-scale northern management needs over next 50 years. This review article discusses five those factors: (1) forests lack age-class diversity uniformly grow old without interventions or natural disturbances, (2) area North decrease as a consequence expanding urban areas, (3) invasive species alter density, diversity, function, (4) intensity for timber low likely to remain so, (5) nontimber objectives gain relevance but challenging implement. Suggested actions address include following: develop quantifiable state regional goals understand spatial structural impacts expansion on forests, symbiotic relationships among owners, managers, industry stakeholders support contemporary conservation goals, work many dimensions change. In several decades, climate change seems unlikely overwhelm negate any discussed this article; rather add another complicating dimension.