Building on Two Decades of Ecosystem Management and Biodiversity Conservation under the Northwest Forest Plan, USA

Abstract

Abstract:The 1994 Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) shifted federal lands management from a focus on timber production to ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation. The plan established a network of conservation reserves and an ecosystem management strategy on ~10 million hectares from northern California to Washington State, USA, within the range of the federally threatened northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina). Several subsequent assessments-and 20 years of data from monitoring OPEN ACCESSForests 2015, 6 3327 programs established under the plan-have demonstrated the effectiveness of this reserve network and ecosystem management approach in making progress toward attaining many of the plan's conservation and ecosystem management goals. This paper (1) showcases the fundamental conservation biology and ecosystem management principles underpinning the NWFP as a case study for managers interested in large-landscape conservation; and (2) recommends improvements to the plan's strategy in response to unprecedented climate change and land-use threats. Twenty years into plan implementation, however, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, under pressure for increased timber harvest, are retreating from conservation measures. We believe that federal agencies should instead build on the NWFP to ensure continuing success in the Pacific Northwest. We urge federal land managers to (1) protect all remaining late-successional/old-growth forests; (2) identify climate refugia for at-risk species; (3) maintain or increase stream buffers and landscape connectivity; (4) decommission and repair failing roads to improve water quality; (5) reduce fire risk in fire-prone tree plantations; and (6) prevent logging after fires in areas of high conservation value. In many respects, the NWFP is instructive for managers considering similar large-scale conservation efforts.

Fire and Forest Management in Montane Forests of the Northwestern States and California, USA

“…Another impactful piece of legislation was the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP). The NWFP created a network of reserves throughout the Pacific Northwest and worked to relieve part of the burden put on private landowners to manage wildlife species [129]. A new science synthesis for the NWFP recently came out that has new science informing management in the PNW since the original publication [130].…”

“…The NWFP has also experienced some pushback. It has not met its commitment for timber sales, and many argue that it is harming the rural communities that rely on logging [129]. There is no definite policy solution to perfectly manage forests.…”

Decision Support System for Adaptive Regional-Scale Forest Management by Multiple Decision-Makers

“…Adaptive management (AM) has been advocated for achieving sustainable forest management [1][2][3]. AM supports management of natural resources while reducing uncertainties through iterative learning and improving management by incorporating environmental and social changes [4,5].…”

Correction: DellaSala, D.A., et al. Building on Two Decades of Ecosystem Management and Biodiversity Conservation under the Northwest Forest Plan, USA. Forests, 2015, 6, 3326

“…Regarding the typos: timber estimates in Section 2 of the NWFP's Long-Term Objectives should have been 2.34 million cubic meters annually instead of 234 million cubic meters annually and 1.78 million cubic meters instead of 178 million cubic meters annually. The statement regarding murrelet populations-"Trends were downward (but not significant) in other NWFP states" should be deleted in this paper [1]. The authors would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused to the readers by these changes.…”