THE STATUS OF FOREST BIODIVERSITY IN NORTH AMERICA

Abstract

Even in North America with the intensity of scientific effort focused on natural resources, it is extremely difficult to assess the overall status of forest biodiversity. Rarely have studies been done examining all the vascular plants and vertebrates and their relationship in any given ecosystem, let alone the thousands of other species found in any given system. Better inventories and assessments are needed of current conditions, abundances, distribution, and management direction for genetic resources, species population, biological communities and ecological systems. Changes monitored over time allow us to assess the consequences of management practices. It is essential in an adaptive management strategy that one be capable of monitoring critical indicators of diversity, particularly those related to management objectives,and those variables that can be used to explain behaviour and predict future trends. Approaches must be developed and implemented for the preservation, maintenance, restoration, and sustainable use of forest ecosystems. Maintaining biodiversity requires attention to a wider array of components in determining management options as well as the management of larger landscape units. There will be trades-offs, commodity production may decline in the short term, but in the long term these trade-offs will result in gains in sustained productivity while maintaining biodiversity with its complete range of ecological processes.