The early part of this decade witnessed the strongest housing market and the highest demand for softwood building products in recent memory. Today, in the midst of recession and the collapse of housing prices, we are experiencing a period where the price of Douglas-fir sawlogs is too low to justify the cost of harvest. These forces have the potential to fragment the North Coast's forested land base as timberland owners facing increasing financial distress find themselves considering alternatives to timber production.
Forest fragmentation and burgeoning development loom large as challenges to establishing sustainable wild and human communities. The holistic restoration of the North Coast landscape requires work across a mosaic of forest types, ownership, and stewardship goals. New approaches to managing private forest lands, both large and small, are an important component of the broad effort to connect and restore a functioning and abundant bioregion.
In this issue community-based forestry advocates explore new approaches to owning and managing private lands for timber, the environment, and rural communities. Whether the land is a small parcel owned and lived on by a family, or a large forested tract dedicated to sustained timber production these authors demonstrate the potential for active management to contribute to the recovery of ailing watersheds, stability of local economies, and reintegration of the forests of the North Coast.
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TOC for Forest & River News, Winter 2008