Is Forestry a Renewable Resource?

History

Twentieth-century conservationists sought to halt and reverse the loss of forest land by improving fire protection policies, advancing conservation practices and establishing national forests. Forest loss stopped and the science of forestry established itself. While timber cutting increased by 70 percent during the 1900s, U.S. forest acreage remained constant despite growing consumer demand for wood products.

Some eco-activists object to lumbering, particularly to the practice of clear-cutting. They make the case that clear-cutting changes soil and climate of ecosystems, making it impossible for new trees and plants grow and for wildlife to thrive. More old-growth forests are needed to stop global climate change, they claim.
Forestry management professionals, however, point out that many national forests are overgrown, disease-ridden and fuel loaded. Being this unhealthy leaves them vulnerable to powerful wildfires, which can scorch and sterilize the soil, making regrowth difficult. They argue that misguided conservation practices have made forests more vulnerable to even greater destruction.
Controlled fires, brush removal, pruning, harvesting and mechanical thinning are effective tools that can improve forest health and sustainability.

Catastrophic wildfire threatens national forests, where a century of fire suppression and protective practices have allowed dead wood and brush to reach dangerous fuel load levels.For example, in 2006 alone, 285,000 acres burned in the largest forest fire since the 1902. Across the United States, droughts triggered fires that incinerated 8.5 million acres in 2000, and 7.2 million acres in 2002.

Modern public and private foresters plan as many as 30 years in advance for harvesting a forest. State and federal laws clearly guide lumber harvesters in selecting sites, reducing impact on the ecosystem, planting, managing waste, runoff and pollution in order to insure the renewability of forest resources.

Americans consume a vast array of products that come from timber. Everything from furniture and cellophane to race car tires and salad dressings are made from wood products. Forested acreage is increasing in the United States and abroad in response to better conservation and management practices and improved monitoring of the lumber industry.
Nature herself periodically clears away forests with fire, flood and disasters and forests typically come back with renewed vigor. By learning as much as possible about how this destruction-rebirth cycle works, people are able to improve the chances of harvesting forests without inflicting long-term damage, and to promote forests as a renewable resource.