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Why Manage Forests?
 Forests
change. They change in response to natural events like wind storms
and fires, they change in response to climate variations, they
change as a result of animal use, and they change as a result of
human activity. Forests even change over time as trees age and are
replaced by others. Whether we like it or not and even if we do
nothing ourselves, forests change.
Forest management is a human attempt
to push this inevitable change toward some goal set by the landowner
or society at large. These goals may include clean water, abundant
animals for hunting, pleasant views, plant diversity, recreation
opportunities, and wood products to name but a few. Many goals can
be achieved simultaneously on the same ground while others must be
pursued separately in either time or place. Meeting any goal,
though, is more quickly done through active management rather than
by waiting for nature to take its course.
Foresters are professionals who
possess a formal education in forest science and have experience
with manipulating forest ecosystems. They have an appreciation of
the biological, economic, and sociological forces that affect
forests. Foresters offer their knowledge and skills to help
landowners get what they want from their woodlots. They also help to
ensure that the needs of society at large are met.
In addition to all of the demands
placed on our forests by hikers, bikers, skiers, campers, hunters,
tourists, "environmentalists", "preservationists", birders, and any
other user group you can think of, society also wants wood. This is
the elephant in the room that many people want to ignore. Each
American uses about 10, 9" diameter trees each year, or about 4
pounds of wood each day. They demand that this need be met as well.
Forestry is not necessary if all a
landowner wants is to make a quick buck from his land. On the other
hand foresters specialize in developing and implementing long-term
plans for forests that meet both the current and future needs of the
landowner and society.
 Here
on the Fond du Lac reservation we have over 18,000 acres of forested
tribal lands. The majority of this forested land is dominated by
aspen due to past land use and/or disturbance patterns (like fires,
floods, insect outbreaks, logging), our climate, and our soil type.
We also have several thousand acres each of northern hardwoods
(species like sugar maple, basswood, and yellow birch) and swamp
conifers (black spruce, northern white cedar, or tamarack).
Forests are managed on the Fond du
Lac Reservation to maintain or create wildlife habitat, maintain or
increase biodiversity, improve the health and vigor of our forests
and associated ecosystems, generate income and employment for Band
members, and for special purposes like creating habitat ideal for
blueberry growth or reducing the fuels around houses to protect them
from wildfires. Timber Sale design and harvesting utilize Ecological
Silviculture and the best science available. Ecological Silviculture
seeks to mimic natural disturbance patterns and to grow trees most
suited to a given site’s moisture and nutrient qualities.
For more information about forestry
on the Fond du Lac reservation you may contact Steve Olson,
Christian Nelson, Vern Northrup, or Mary Fairbanks at the Resource
Management office. Link to staff contact page.
For more information about forest
management you may visit the
University of Minnesota – Extension website
Original article written by Michigan
State University’s Upper Peninsula Tree Improvement Center (www.maes.msu.edu/uptic)
and amended by Christian Nelson, Fond du Lac Allotment Forester.
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