Large areas of natural forest ecosystems are being converted into industrial plantations in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. In the short term, this seems to maximize returns from investment and to homogenize the raw material base for forest industries. It is argued here that society will continue to use more wood and foresters must produce it; in doing so, however, it is imperative that the immense importance of biotic diversity in containing pests and pathogens, in maintaining current levels of production in perpetuity, and in moderating the global climate should be addressed. Current criteria for economic evaluation do not adequately address these and other important considerations accruing from the management of whole forest ecosystems.
90040-6&apiKey=3948bb216041dbffcb29a618defafc29&httpAccept=image%2Fjpeg)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-1127(89)90040-6Altmetric score:
Dimensions Citation Count:
Publication year
1989
Authors
Language
English
Keywords
ecology, forestry, forest management, pests, pathogens
