Natural Resource Technology

Natural pine forests characterize many landscapes preserved over time, either as a result of a specific forest management practice or a disturbance. In the event of a lack of management over a long period of time, these formations could evolve with increasingly chaotic structures towards other formations. This process can lead to landscape change, the spread of insects and pathogens, and the risk of fires and watercourse obstruction

This Handbook has several parts. Chapters are organized around general silvicultural practices, policies, and major forest cover types found in Wisconsin. A standard format is followed throughout the major forest cover type sections, presenting ecological characteristics and recommended silvicultural practices and systems. Additional silvicultural information can be obtained by referring to the list of publications at the end of each chapter.

Conflicts in forest management are unavoidable because of the large temporal and spatial scales characteristic of forests ecosystems and the large number of actors involved. Forests are multifunctional ecosystems par excellence, and it can be hypothesized that current public policies, and especially those labeled as societal transitions, can affect this widespread holistic management goal. In this Special Issue, the different contributions by the authors raise the questions of how different types of conflicts arise and what alternatives exist to solve those conflicts.