The “emulation of natural disturbance” (END) management approach in Canadian forestry: A critical evaluation

Abstract

The “emulation of natural disturbance” (END) is an ambiguous forest management approach that embodies an environmental ethic of “following nature” and the values associated with the nature/culture dichotomy. Given climate change projections, the emulation of natural disturbance or any approach that commits itself to reproducing a snapshot of the past history and evolution of forests may not be appropriate over large areas of the forested landscape. The adoption of a naturalistic forest management approach may appear to make sense for biodiversity conservation, but such an approach may not be adaptive in a rapidly changing climate. Rather than aiming to “follow nature,” Canadian forestry should strive to be innovative in its efforts to manage its forests. Key words: emulation of natural disturbance, TRIAD, environmental ethics, naturalistic forest management, climate change, adaptation

Why we disagree about assisted migration: Ethical implications of a key debate regarding the future of Canada's forests

“…Although sustainable wood production has remained a primary goal, attempts to reduce environmental impacts, emulate natural processes, promote selfadaptability and manage for multiple outcomes signal a profound change in ethical perspectives. However, climate change challenges some of these newly oriented management practices (e.g., practices based on the emulation of natural disturbances; Klenk et al 2009). Concerns that climate change may have negative consequences on forest health and productivity may give a renewed strength to a more anthropocentric perspective involving increased human intervention when natural processes are considered insufficient to ensure sustainability of wood production and other ecological goods and services.…”

Integridad ecológica en un bosque bajo producción maderable del centro de México

“…En general, las estrategias de manejo forestal para conservar la IE son demasiado complejas para ser sometidas a experimentación (Simberloff, 2001;Drever et al, 2006;Perera et al, 2008;Klenk et al, 2009), por lo que se requieren formas de evaluación objetivas que permitan saber si el enfoque de manejo está conservando la IE (Carignan y Villard, 2002). La propuesta en este trabajo puede ser utilizada para solventar esta problemática, ya que a través de los resultados será posible contar con información para mantener, adecuar o rechazar las estrategias de gestión.…”