Nearing the end of a lifetime in the boreal forest, a retired forester
writes a passionate plea for rational, science-based forest
management.
The boreal forest is constantly changing, often dramatically. We like to
picture it as a stable, balanced system. Really, it is anything but
stable. The boreal forest is dynamic.
For over sixty years, forester Malcolm F. Squires has seen mature
forests within protected areas devastated by insects, moose, wind, and
wildfire. While the forests often return from this destruction, they are
never quite the same. A naturally balanced boreal forest is a human
notion that does not match the reality of nature. If we don't soon
recognize and accept that reality and stop making irrational demands
that a forest be "protected" from change or human management, we may be
dooming them to disaster.