Ethical Forestry Summary

By Harry Voelkel

Video: A Vision For Ethical New England Forestry

Ethical forestry is about maintaining and developing a healthy, functioning forest ecosystem while meeting our timber needs. After years of destructive logging and agriculture, our forests are not always healthy.Driving down 89, and seeing lots of trees out the window, it may seem like our forests are doing fine. In reality, our post-settlement forests need careful management to return them to good condition.

Using forestry techniques, we can speed up natural processes, create animal habitat, and have working, productive forests. Practicing ethical forestry, it is important to mimic natural processes and conserve healthy soils. By following some guidelines, we can ensure that the forest is able to regenerate itself, and grow better timber trees. When ethical forestry is employed, we can help turn an unhealthy forest back into a healthy one in decades, rather than the hundreds of years it would take naturally. It is our responsibility to both correct the mistakes of our forefathers and create a better world for future generations.

Since the first human created the first axe, and even before, we have needed forests and timber, for fire, structures, and food. Archaeological evidence shows that man has managed forests for thousands of years. In stone age Britain, hunter gatherers used prescribed burns to promote hazelnut growth in the Thames Valley. Oaks were regularly cut and coppiced to provide reliable sources of building material, firewood, and acorns. In Germany, for time immemorial, ancient custom dictated that when a man married, he was to plant at least two oak trees. The Native Americans managed forests across North America to promote wild game and mast trees. We are only the latest in a long line of forest managers.

One of the most important aspects of ethical forestry is that when we practice it, we are respecting the value of the forest. By harvesting timber in our backyards, we are aware of were wood products come from, and what it takes to create them. We can understand the trade-offs involved. By harvesting and sustaining forests we appreciate their value, and can understand why it is important to keep land forested and undeveloped.