ABSTRACT
Forests are highly valuable renewable resources and diversified ecosystems that provide a variety of environmental services besides wood and paper products. Forty-two states have purchased conservation easements on working timberlands through the federal Forest Legacy Program. The United States Forest Service has noted that "parcelization of private ownerships will continue to be a management challenge with landscape-level planning becoming more difficult and habitat associated with edge effects becoming more plentiful because of increased fragmentation of forest cover." While the emphasis remains on managing the multiple uses of the national forests, the new planning rule underscores the need to manage water resources and sustainable recreation. Planners can use the future population projection of the comprehensive plan and land suitability analysis in the natural resources inventory to evaluate the likely impacts of new development on the community's forestlands and local economy. Planners can also suggest alternative scenarios to accommodate growth.
