Key challenges in forest management

Donald Grebner, Mississippi State University, USA; and Pete Bettinger, University of Georgia, USA

Chapter synopsis: Forest managers face many challenges, both now and in the future, driven by society’s need as well as by the impacts dictated by the climate change threat. Growing populations will also strain the forest’s ability to provide traditional products sustainably while catering to the growing demands for ecosystem services not previously and explicitly managed for across forested landscapes. The objective of this chapter is to provide an overview of current and pending threats and challenges for forest managers around the world as well as current research focussed on these topics. The chapter starts with reviewing current and future concerns in forest management, which include climate change impacts, changing land-use and ecosystem services. Key research areas such as climate change impacts (e.g. species shifts, growth rates, extreme weather events, water, forest pests and invasive species), urbanization/forest fragmentation (e.g. wildland–urban interface) and ecosystem services (e.g. valuation) are discussed. A case study on forest management in North America is included.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2019.0057.10