ABSTRACT
The conclusion chapter for this text returns to the themes introduced at the beginning: the varied categories of land tenure that are encountered across the American landscape and the influence of ideas of ownership, management, and property derived from the likes of John Locke, Gifford Pinchot, John Muir, and Garrett Hardin. Although many of the assumptions and commitments of these thinkers have rightfully been discarded, their influence continues to live on in ways that provide both opportunities for and obstacles to adaptation to pressing needs and concerns. This chapter looks toward the future and asks whether their ideas are likely to serve as competent guides as we confront the combined social and ecological challenges of contemporary forest conservation.
