Thomas Jack Ward, Franklin Jerry E, Gordon John, Johnson K Norman
Department of Forest Management, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA.
Conserv Biol. 2006 Apr;20(2):277-87. doi: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2006.00385.x.
In the 1990s the federal forests in the Pacific Northwest underwent the largest shift in management focus since their creation, from providing a sustained yield of timber to conserving biodiversity, with an emphasis on endangered species. Triggered by a legal challenge to the federal protection strategy for the Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina), this shift was facilitated by a sequence of science assessments that culminated in the development of the Northwest Forest Plan. The plan, adopted in 1994, called for an extensive system of late-successional and riparian reserves along with some timber harvest on the intervening lands under a set of controls and safeguards. It has proven more successful in stopping actions harmful to conservation of old-growth forests and aquatic systems than in achieving restoration goals and economic and social goals. We make three suggestions that will allow the plan to achieve its goals: (1) recognize that the Northwest Forest Plan has evolved into an integrative conservation strategy, (2) conserve old-growth trees and forests wherever they occur and (3) manage federal forests as dynamic ecosystems.
20世纪90年代，太平洋西北地区的联邦森林经历了自创建以来管理重点的最大转变，从提供持续的木材产量转向保护生物多样性，重点是濒危物种。这一转变由对北方斑点鸮（Strix occidentalis caurina）联邦保护策略的法律挑战引发，一系列科学评估推动了这一转变，最终形成了《西北森林计划》。该计划于1994年通过，要求建立一个广泛的成熟林和河岸保护区系统，同时在一系列控制和保障措施下，对中间地带的土地进行一些木材采伐。事实证明，该计划在阻止对原始森林和水生系统保护有害的行为方面比实现恢复目标以及经济和社会目标更为成功。我们提出三点建议，以使该计划实现其目标：（1）认识到《西北森林计划》已演变为一种综合保护策略；（2）无论原始树木和森林出现在何处，都要加以保护；（3）将联邦森林作为动态生态系统进行管理。
