Ecological Silvicultural Systems - by Brian J Palik & Anthony W D'Amato (Paperback)

About the Book

"The subject of our proposed book is broadly ecological silviculture, which is a transformative approach for managing forests ecosystems based on emulation of natural models of development and that explicitly incorporates ecological objectives into prescriptions for on-the-ground activities. Specifically, our proposal is for a book that presents examples of comprehensive forest developmental models and corresponding ecological silvicultural systems for major temperate and boreal forests in North America, as well as select forest ecosystems in Europe, South American, and Australasia. These examples will be presented in contributed chapters written by innovators in the field. We are pioneers in developing the fundamental concepts of ecological silviculture and translating concepts into principles and guidelines for on-the-ground management, having already authored the first of its kind textbook on the subject (Palik et al. 2020, Waveland Press), as well as several other influential papers that addresses various aspects of ecological silviculture (e.g., Franklin, Mitchell, and Palik 2007; D'Amato et al. 2017; Palik and D'Amato 2017; D'Amato and Palik 2021). In our textbook (Palik et al. 2020), we were only able to highlight four examples of ecological silviculture systems, all from the United States and focused on only a limited suite of ecosystems. We know there is wealth of additional exemplary approaches to ecological silviculture that can be highlighted in our proposed book, making the knowledge and experience of innovators in the field readily available to a global population of interested stakeholders"--

Book Synopsis

ECOLOGICAL SILVICULTURAL SYSTEMS

Unleash the natural power and adaptability of forests with this cutting-edge guide

For generations, silvicultural systems have focused largely on models whose primary objective is the production of timber, leading to drastically simplified forests with reduced ecological richness, diversity, and complexity. Ecological silviculture, by contrast, focuses on producing and maintaining forests with "all their parts"--, that is, with the diversity and flexibility to respond and adapt to global changes. Ecological silviculture seeks to emulate natural development models and sustain healthy forests serving multiple values and goals.

Ecological Silvicultural Systems provides a comprehensive introduction to these approaches and their benefits tailored to diverse types of forests, designed for forest management professionals. It provides a series of exemplary models for ecological silviculture and surveys the resulting forest ecosystems. The result is a text that meets the needs of professionals in forestry and natural resource management with an eye towards sustaining healthy forest ecosystems, adapting them to climate change, protecting them from invasive species, and responding to changing market forces.

Ecological Silvicultural Systems readers will also find:

• Detailed treatment of forest ecosystems in North America, Europe, South America, and Australia
• A broad field of contributors with decades of combined expertise on multiple continents
• Discussion of pine woodlands; temperate hardwood forests, boreal forests, temperate rainforests, and more

Ecological Silvicultural Systems is a useful reference for professional foresters, wildlife habitat managers, restoration ecologists, and undergraduate and graduate students in any of these fields.

From the Back Cover

Unleash the natural power and adaptability of forests with this cutting-edge guide

For generations, silvicultural systems have focused largely on models whose primary objective is the production of timber, leading to drastically simplified forests with reduced ecological richness, diversity, and complexity. Ecological silviculture, by contrast, focuses on producing and maintaining forests with "all their parts"--, that is, with the diversity and flexibility to respond and adapt to global changes. Ecological silviculture seeks to emulate natural development models and sustain healthy forests serving multiple values and goals.

Ecological Silvicultural Systems provides a comprehensive introduction to these approaches and their benefits tailored to diverse types of forests, designed for forest management professionals. It provides a series of exemplary models for ecological silviculture and surveys the resulting forest ecosystems. The result is a text that meets the needs of professionals in forestry and natural resource management with an eye towards sustaining healthy forest ecosystems, adapting them to climate change, protecting them from invasive species, and responding to changing market forces.

Ecological Silvicultural Systems readers will also find:

• Detailed treatment of forest ecosystems in North America, Europe, South America, and Australia
• A broad field of contributors with decades of combined expertise on multiple continents
• Discussion of pine woodlands; temperate hardwood forests, boreal forests, temperate rainforests, and more

Ecological Silvicultural Systems is a useful reference for professional foresters, wildlife habitat managers, restoration ecologists, and undergraduate and graduate students in any of these fields.

About the Author

Brian J. Palik, PhD, is a research ecologist with the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Grand Rapids, MN, USA. He has published widely on the ecological sustainability of managed forests and related fields.

Anthony W. D'Amato, PhD, is Professor of Silviculture and Applied Forest Ecology and Director of the Forestry Program at the University of Vermont, USA. He has researched and published extensively on long-term forest dynamics and silvicultural strategies to foster adaptive forests.