A collection of writings on the environmental crisis of the Southwestern forests, by historians specializing in either the environment or the Southwest, criticicing forest management practices devoted to exploiting the forest for timber, grazing, and recreation, with insufficient regard for ecological balance.

Soils are fundamental to a healthy and functioning ecosystem. Therefore, forest land managers can greatly benefit from a more thorough understanding of the ecological impacts of fire and fuel management activities on the vital services soils provide. We present a summary of new research on fire effects and soils made possible through the Joint Fire Science Program and highlight management implications where applicable. Some responses were consistent across sites, whereas others were unique and may not easily be extrapolated to other sites. Selected findings include (1) postfire soil water repellency is most likely to occur in areas of high burn severity and is closely related to surface vegetation; (2) although wildfire has the potential to decrease the amount of carbon stored in soils, major changes in land use, such as conversion from forest to grasslands, present a much greater threat to carbon storage; (3) prescribed fires, which tend to burn less severely than wildfires and oftentimes have minor effects on soils, may nonetheless decrease species richness of certain types of fungi; and (4) early season prescribed burns tend to have less impact than late season burns on soil organisms, soil carbon, and other soil properties.

Presents an illustrated guide to the effects of climate change and how to lessen the effects of the dependence on fossil fuels.

The aim of this book is to provide an accessible overview for advanced students, resource professionals such as land managers, and policy makers to acquaint themselves with the established science, management practices and policies that facilitate sequestration and allow for the storage of carbon in forests. The book has value to the reader to better understand: a) carbon science and management of forests and wood products; b) the underlying social mechanisms of deforestation; and c) the policy options in order to formulate a cohesive strategy for implementing forest carbon projects and ultimately reducing emissions from forest land use.

This comprehensive textbook explores the boreal forests of Northern Europe, Finland, Sweden and Norway. Students will gain an overview of the forest ecosystem and the services it provides for modern society. From the production of timber, to the supply of food products or their use as a recreational space for human wellbeing – our forests serve many needs. Accordingly, the respective chapters cover various types of ecosystem service, e.g. supporting, provisioning, regulating and cultural services. The book’s main focus is on the management of boreal forests for the production of these ecosystem services. Addressing modern challenges, e.g. managing vulnerable boreal forests for adaptation to climate change, is an important aspect throughout the volume. Traditional forest management has to adapt and evolve in order to meet the increasing risk of abiotic and biotic damages to our forest biomass. Future forestry graduates will have to face more and more of these challenges; consequently, the book provides them with a wealth of scientific knowhow and possible counter-strategies. Forestry students in the Northern Hemisphere, be it in Europe, North America or Asia, will find this book an excellent reference guide. To make the content more accessible, it has been enriched with a clear structure, numerous illustrations and learning objectives.

The health of many Rocky Mountain ecosystems is in decline because of the policy of excluding fire in the management of these ecosystems. Fire exclusion has actually made it more difficult to fight fires, and this poses greater risks to the people who fight fires and for those who live in and around Rocky Mountain forests and rangelands. This paper discusses the extent of fire exclusion in the Rocky Mountains, then details the diverse and cascading effects of suppressing fires in the Rocky Mountain landscape by spatial scale, characteristic, and vegetation type. Also discussed are the varied effects of fire exclusion on some important, keystone ecosystems and human concerns.