Mitigating Anthropocene Influences in Forests in the United States

Anthropogenic and other climate changes, land use changes, forest structure changes, and introduced organisms are difficult to isolate with respect to their cumulative consequences. Similar changes have occurred before with undesirable effects and the currently high human population could suffer greatly if they happen again. Active forest management can help avoid dramatic, unfavorable changes. We can anticipate some effects from current geographic and weather patterns and forest ownership sizes, species compositions, and age class distributions. Less known are what foreign species might invade and cause trouble; how much forests will be converted to agriculture to replace the drying farm lands; and what wood demands, equipment, and incentives will be directed toward the forests. Many silvicultural activities can mitigate the undesirable effects of climate changes. The silvicultural expertise can be applied if the infrastructure of labor, equipment, and markets and the will of the people exist to support such activities with finances and legislation.