Northeastern conifer research: Multiple species and multiple values

Abstract

The northern conifer, or spruce-fir, forest of the northeastern USA and adjacent Canada has had a defining influence on the economy and culture of the region. The same can be said of the USDA Forest Service's research in this forest, which began more than 100 years ago. Forest Service research has evolved since that time in response to changes in the needs and prominence of the forest industry, and in public attitudes and concerns. Early studies of forest protection and rehabilitation first gave way to mid-century research on production forestry, then to twenty-first-century research on forest ecology. Though various lines of research have come and gone, long-term studies on the region's experimental forests continue to provide a unique perspective on the structure and dynamics of the forest, and the outcomes of silvicultural alternatives.