National project on wood utilization for ecosystem management - An interim report

Using an ecosystem approach to forest management will change silvicultural practices, thus requiring utilization options to provide revenue and help offset the costs of silviculture treatments. The Forest Service, University cooperators, and several industry mills in the U.S. South, West, and Northeast have been involved in a National multidisciplinary research project to provide (1) methods for evaluating the economic feasibility of different silvicultural treatments, (2) various harvesting methods, and (3) product options for woody materials removed from forests maintained under an ecosystem approach. This paper presents the ongoing progress of this project.