ABSTRACT
Approach ............................................................................................................................................3 Threats and Values.........................................................................................................................3 Ecological Subregions ...................................................................................................................4
Overall Conceptual Framework .........................................................................................................5 Common Databases ...........................................................................................................................5 Organization .......................................................................................................................................6 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................6 References ..........................................................................................................................................7
unsustainable logging practices or from wildfires, insects, and diseases. Almost a century of federal, university, and private industry research has produced an abundance of silvicultural studies, long-term data on trends in forest conditions and environmental changes, and expertise in modeling the effects of disturbances ranging from wildfires to insects to climate change. This science served to reforest the almost completely cutover landscapes at the beginning of the twentieth century and to establish the most productive forest region in the world (Prestemon and Abt 2002). Land managers are now being challenged to sustainably manage forest ecosystems in an increasingly uncertain, but likely very different, set of future climate conditions and disturbance regimes. The task becomes even more difficult because of co-occurring increases in landscape fragmentation, greater numbers of invasive species, changing social and economic conditions, and greater demands for ecosystem services from a growing population (Wear and Greis in press). Hence, land managers will need to consider multiple risks as they make decisions about activities on forest lands.
