The integration of planted and natural forests in a regional landscape

Kathleen Kavanagh±, George Stankey² and Jim Boyle³
¹Assistant Professor and Forestry Extension Specialist (Clatsop County); College of Forestry, Oregon State University, Astoria, OR, U.S.A.; ²Research Social Scientist; Pacific Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Corvallis, OR, U.S.A.; ³Professor; Department of Forest Resources, College of Forestry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, U.S.A.

Keywords: Oregon, Douglas-fir, social forces

Abstract. The 10,700 km2 region of northwestern Oregon, USA, is dominated by mountainous forested landscapes fringed by agricultural lands and rapidly expanding urban areas. The Douglas-fir / western-hemlock trees, admixed with other species, in the mild, moist regional climate and with rich soils are among the most highly productive of temperate forests. Timber harvest has been the dominant land use for much of this century. Many current forest stands are planted, and have the potentials to be managed and shaped for a variety of traditional and evolving forestry objectives. The ages, resilience and productivity of these forests and mosaics of land ownerships permit a variety of future scenarios of forested landscapes, constrained largely by capacities of social organizations to plan and execute management for desired future conditions.

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