Ecosystem management: capturing the concept for woodland owners

Abstract

How nonindustrial private forests are managed is crucial in ecosystems where NIPF owners control most of the land, but ecosystem management is complex. A survey of landowners indicates, however, that most are already predisposed to its basic principles: they understand that their actions affect land elsewhere, they value the components of the landscape, and they want to leave a healthy forest for the next generation. Framing ecosystem-based approaches within those three areas may help foresters work with NIPF owners.