Ecological properties for the evaluation, management, and restoration of temperate deciduous forest ecosystems

Given that many of the original deciduous forests of North America have disappeared over the last few centuries, our challenge is to preserve remnant forests, restore altered forests, and harvest managed forests in a sustainable manner. To do so, we need to identify macroscale properties that can easily monitor the condition of the eastern deciduous forest as a whole. We offer 10 possible properties: (1) tree size; (2) canopy composition; (3) quantity and quality of coarse woody debris; (4) number of spring ephemeral species in the herbaceous layer; (5) number of typical corticulous bryophyte species; (6) density of wildlife trees; (7) fungi; (8) avian community; (9) number of large carnivores; and (10) forest area. We have assigned to each property a control (or normal) value, an intermediate value, and a heavily altered value. These values are based on the existing literature. These 10 properties would: (1) allow us to recognize, rank, and protect high-priority forest sites for conservation; (2) tell us whether changes in a forest are in the direction of restoration or toward further alteration; and (3) enable us to evaluate different harvesting methods so we can select those that cause the least alteration to forests.