An Old-Growth Definition for Eastern Riverfront Forests

Preface Old growth is widely acknowledged today as an essential part of managed forests, particularly on public lands. However, this concept is relatively new, evolving since the 1970's when a grassroots movement in the Pacific Northwest began in earnest to define old growth. In response to changes in public attitude, the USDA Forest Service began reevaluating its policy regarding old-growth forests in the 1980's. Indeed, the ecological significance of old growth and its contribution to biodiversity were apparent. It was also evident that definitions were needed to adequately assess and manage the old-growth resource. However, definitions of old growth varied widely among scientists. To address this discrepancy and other old-growth issues, the National Old-Growth Task Group was formed in 1988. At the recommendation of this committee, old growth was officially recognized as a distinct resource by the Forest Service, greatly enhancing its status in forest management planning. The committee devised "The Generic Definition and Description of Old-Growth Forests" to serve as a basis for further work and to ensure uniformity between Forest Service Stations and Regions. Emphasis was placed on the quantification of old-growth attributes. At the urging of the Chief of the Forest Service, all Forest Service Stations and Regions began developing old-growth definitions for specific forest types. Because the Southern and Eastern Regions share many forest communities (together they encompass the entire Eastern United States), their efforts were combined, and a cooperative agreement was established with The Nature Conservancy for technical support. The resulting project represents the first large-scale effort to define old growth for all forests in the Eastern United States. This project helped bring the old-growth issue to public attention in the East. Definitions will first be developed for broad forest types and based mainly on published information and so must be viewed accordingly. Refinements will be made by the Forest Service as new information becomes available. This document represents 1 of 35 forest types for which old-growth definitions will be drafted. In preparing individual old-growth definitions, authors followed National Old-Growth Task Group guidelines, which differ from the standard General Technical Report format in two ways—the abstract (missing in this report) and the literature citations (listed in Southern Journal of Applied Forestry style). Allowing for these deviations will ensure consistency across organizational and geographic boundaries.