The Future Shape of Forests

Abstract

Natural forests are being cut back in many countries in favor of non- forest uses. The boundary between forest and non-forest has therefore become an unstable frontier which needs to be managed in the interest of establishing sustainable forestry. A stable forest continuum is called for which is capable of accommodating changing circumstances. It would comprise a system of interlinked forest types subject to various degrees of human intervention and range from protected forest in its natural state to plantation forestry. Formulated decades ago and dictated by economic and strategic concerns current forestry policies are often outdated. A new framework for sustainable forestry development based upon the primacy of maintaining forest ecological processes and biological diversity is suggested. This approach would build upon the way of life and aspirations of specific groups of people who determine what happens in the forests.