A Design for Addressing Multiple Ecosystem Services in Forest Management Planning

Emin Zeki Baskent,Meryem Tahri,Jan Kašpar,José Guilherme Borges

doi:10.3390/f11101108

Emin Zeki Baskent, Meryem Tahri + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/f11101108

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Abstract

Forest policy and decision-makers are challenged by the need to balance the increasing demand for multiple ecosystem services while addressing the impacts of natural disturbances (e.g., wildfires, droughts, wind, insect attacks) and global change scenarios (e.g., climate change) on its potential supply. This challenge motivates the development of a framework for incorporating concerns with a wide range of ecosystem services in multiple criteria management planning contexts. Thus, the paper focused on both the analysis of the current state-of-the art research in forest management planning and the development of a conceptual framework to accommodate various components in a forest management process. On the basis of a thorough recent classification of forest management planning problems and the state-of-the-art research, we defined the key dimensions of the framework and the process. The emphasis was on helping to identify how concerns with a wide range of ecosystem services may be analyzed and better understood by forest ecosystem management planning. This research discusses the potential of contemporary management planning approaches to address multiple forest ecosystem services. It highlights the need for a multi-level perspective and appropriate spatial resolution to integrate multiple ecosystem services. It discusses the importance of methods and tools that may help support stakeholders’ involvement and public participation in hierarchical planning processes. The research addresses the need of methods and tools that may encapsulate the ecological, economic, and social complexity of forest ecosystem management to provide an efficient plan, information about tradeoffs between ecosystem services, and the sensitivity of the plan to uncertain parameters (e.g., prices, climate change) on time.

Highlights

Forest management planning has focused primarily on the productive functions of forest ecosystems, mostly overlooking other forest ecosystem values or services
We present a structured framework that addresses the planning processes targeting the provision of multiple ecosystem services as well as the features of tools needed to address them
The decision-making process is an essential aspect of forest management planning process, involving multiple ecosystem services, planning approaches, methods and tools, and multiple stakeholders in addition to the vision, intuition, and wisdom of planners

Summary

Introduction

Forest management planning has focused primarily on the productive functions of forest ecosystems, mostly overlooking other forest ecosystem values or services. Over the last two decades, demographic and socio-economic trends have configured a new forest management planning context characterized by concerns with providing a broader range of multiple ecosystem services. Forests 2020, 11, 1108 wood production and economic goals towards multiple uses with a multi-criteria decision-making approach has motivated research to harmonize the ecological, economic, and socio-cultural values of forest ecosystems on a sustainable basis [1]. Spatial components of forest planning processes have increased dramatically in the last decade, as management goals accounting for the spatial configuration of management actions have become increasingly important [2]. Forest managers and practitioners are challenged by developing and implementing plans to reduce the risk of many biotic or abiotic disturbances, increase ecosystem resilience and water yield, protect soil erosion and biodiversity, improve tree growth and vigor, and provide landscape aesthetics and recreational services

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