The Conservation Driver of Silvicultural Options: Conservation Biology Principles and Implications in Management of Pacific Northwest Landscapes and Ownership Classes

Chris C. Maguire, Forest Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR

Conservation is the wise use of natural resources to ensure the retention of natural balance, diversity, and evolutionary change in the environment. The number of forest management options available for landowners operating under a conservation ethic increases with the size of the forest tract under management. While landowners with small acreage may manage primarily at the stand scale and target the conservation of overall biodiversity on their land holdings, those with large acreage also have the option of managing at the landscape scale and considering the habitat needs of specific species that cover large expanses of land or require specific landscape configurations. Important stand attributes known to affect biodiversity include dead wood and vegetation complexity. Important landscape characteristics include patch type, patch size, and connectivity. Because all organisms occupy unique niches yet critical environmental features are largely unknown for most species, forest management should focus on conserving a range of forest conditions that reflect natural variability.

Keywords: conservation, biodiversity, scale, structure.