Forest Ecosystem Management. A management approach that aims to maintain healthy and resilient forest ecosystems by focusing on a reduction of differences between natural and managed landscapes to ensure long-term maintenance of ecosystem functions and thereby retain the social and economic benefits they provide to society.That is the definition of forest ecosystem management proposed in this book, which provides a summary of key ecological concepts supporting this approach. The book includes a review of major disturbance regimes that shape the natural dynamics of the boreal forest and gives examples from different Canadian boreal regions. Several projects implementing the forest ecosystem management approach are presented to illustrate the challenges created by current forestry practices and the solutions that this new approach can provide. In short, knowledge and understanding of forest dynamics can serve as a guide for forest management. Planning interventions based on natural dynamics can facilitate reconciliation between forest harvesting needs and the interests of other forest users.

Modelling is an important tool for understanding the complexity of forest ecosystems and the variety of interactions of ecosystem components, processes and values. This book describes the hybrid approach to modelling forest ecosystems and their possible response to natural and management-induced disturbance. The book describes the FORECAST family of ecosystem management models at three different spatial scales (tree, stand and landscape), and compares them with alternative models at these three spatial scales. The book will help forest managers to understand what to expect from ecosystem-based forest models; serve as a tool for use in teaching about sustainability, scenario analysis and value trade-offs in natural resources management; and assist policy makers, managers and researches working in assessment of sustainable forest management and ecosystem management. Several real-life examples of using the FORECAST family of models in forest management and other applications are presented from countries including Canada, China, Spain and the USA, to illustrate the concepts described in the text. The book also demonstrates how these models can be extended for scenario and value trade-off analysis through visualization and educational or management games.

Forest management has evolved from a mercantilist view to a multi-functional one that integrates economic, social, and ecological aspects. However, the issue of sustainability is not yet resolved. Quantitative Techniques in Participatory Forest Management brings together global research in three areas of application: inventory of the forest variables that determine the main environmental indices, description and design of new environmental indices, and the application of sustainability indices for regional implementations. The book outlines a public participatory process to assess sustainability in forest management. It explores a new approach that links human and natural systems, reconsiders our interdependence with the diversity of life, and recognizes our role in a unique and complex system. The book also identifies quantitative indices that provide a vast amount of information on soil, landscape, and ecological functioning. It highlights the importance of these indices for public information programs on participatory processes and provides an operating procedure to identify the degree of convergence in the utility of multiple evaluators. The last chapter describes a downloadable computer application that integrates the techniques explained in the book. Users accessing the application are offered a map representing their preferred forest management plan in the study zone. They are also given a map with the results of their corresponding community of evaluators, including the numerical and qualitative data for both. The system stores a record of the visit, including the visitor's profile and responses, to progress towards the joint forest management plan. The quantitative techniques highlighted in this book create the basis for the development of scientific methodologies of participatory sustainable forest management. It details the methodology for the design of a forest management plan that best suits a specific preference system.

Scenario methods can be used to anticipate the future and expand the creativity of people thinking about complex forest management situations. This manual describes the use of scenarios with multiple stakeholders, with examples drawn from community-based forest management. Four classes of scenario methods are described: visions, projections, pathways and alternative scenarios. Examples of rapid participatory techniques relevant to scenario methods are also summarised. It is hoped that these methods will be useful in bringing together different groups of people concerned about forest management to exchange views, expand the realm of decision possibilities and reach more innovative solutions.