2: Maintenance of productive capacity of forest ecosystems

Many communities depend on forests directly or indirectly for a wide range of forest based goods and services. The sustainable provision of these services is clearly linked to the productive capacity of the forest. If this capacity is exceeded there is the risk of ecosystem decline and collapse. For forests to be sustainable it is necessary to understand the levels at which goods and services may be extracted or used without undermining the functioning of forest ecosystems and processes. The nature of goods and services provided by forests change over time due to social and economic trends, and technological developments. Change in the productive capacity of forests may be a signal of unsound forest management practices or other agents that are affecting forest ecosystems in some way.

Associated Indicators

Improvement of biotic processes: Height/diameter ratio

The height to diameter (at breast height, dbh) ratio is an important measure of stand condition. In crowded stands, the ratio will tend to be higher than in open stands and the ratio for trees with suppressed growth (usually in crowded stands) will be higher than the ratio for dominant trees and trees with less competition.

Income and costs associated with traditional cow-calf or sheep and goat livestock operations on rangelands

The ability to retain rangeland in livestock production uses depends on the economics of those uses and the ability of owners to maintain their ownerships in comparison to competing uses. This indicator will look at current information on the costs and returns associated with conventional cow-calf and sheep operations on rangelands. It will provide insights into whether or not these operations are stable, increasing or declining due to economic forces.

Maintenance of Productive Capacity of Forest Ecosystems: Net growth of growing stock on timberland

Net growth is the rate of total tree growth minus losses to mortality, extraction, fire, and other causes.

Maintenance of Productive Capacity of Forest Ecosystems: Net growth to removals ratio

Sustainable forests and forestry generally implies that the rate of removal of forest material does not exceed the rate of growth, within and across age classes and tree types. This could be expressed as tons or volume of tree stems, or other metrics.

Maintenance of Productive Capacity of Forest Ecosystems: Removals of growing stock on timberland

This indicator refers to the loss/removal of trees from commercially-used forests. This could be measured in volume, # trees, or other metrics.

Maintenance of Productive Capacity of Forest Ecosystems: Timberland area

The total area of timberland (forest used for extraction) can be expressed as units of area, fraction of total forest area, or fraction of the total landscape.

Maintenance of Productive Capacity of Forest Ecosystems: Total forest area

The total forest are could be expressed as total area, or as a proportion of a region or watershed.

Maintenance of Productive Capacity of Forest Ecosystems: Type of removals: harvest, land clearing

Artificial loss of forest can occur in order to develop the land for other purposes (e.g., agriculture, residential), or to remove wood where the intent is for the trees to naturally re-grow, or be re-planted. Partial removal is also possible, where forest is thinned to remove some of the trees and leave the remainder for increased growth and possible later removal.

Net growth of growing stock on timberland (defined as capable of producing 20 cf/acre/year which is used by FIA) and net growth to removals ratio

Net growth of growing stock on timberland (defined as capable of producing 20 cf/acre/year which is used by FIA) and net growth to removals ratio. Data are available for timberland as a whole and for different ownerships that quantify the amount of growth, mortality and harvest.

New Housing Starts

Evaluates level of new (and recent historical) development in counties and regions. Data on new housing starts shows the intensity of development, recent and historical, by location (county, region, etc.) across the state. These are where developers are expecting (or expecting to lure) new inhabitants to live, and also show potential impacts to the land use and the greater land base, particularly from the lower density types of housing.