Principle – Yield and Quality of Forest Goods are Sustainable

Criterion- Forest management provides for sustainability of goods and services.

Indicator – Annual removal of forest products relative to the volume of removals determined to be sustainable.

Rewritten Indicator – Annual and period removals calculated by area and/or volume prescribed.

Box B: Definition:

Definition from CCFM:

The allowable use of forest products determined to be sustainable will dictate the maximum allowable harvest of forest products. A wide variety of products are extracted including timber, fuelwood, pelts, big game, fish, food (mushrooms, berries), and a range of botanical medicines and craft materials.

The harvest rate for timber is determined by annual allowable cuts (AACs), which dictate the maximum volume of timber that can be harvested annually from an area over a period of time. AACs do not include timber in parks, wilderness areas or other type of reserves.

A fully regulated forest that produces an even flow of timber forever. The benefits of forest regulations are:

1. Stable business planning.
2. Balance between yearly expenditures and receipts.
3. Safety from fires, insects and diseases.
4. Maximum opportunity for correlation with other forestland uses, e.g. recreation, wildlife, watershed protection, biodiversity and forage.
5. Providing regular employment.

CIFOR information: Brief Definition:

Yield regulation is the calculation that may be harvested, annually or periodically, from a specific area over a stated period, in accordance with the objects of management.

Box D: Applicability to Different Landowners. Explain any differences:

N/A

Box E: Overlap:

CIFOR: 3.2.3 1.1.1 3.4.1 3.4.2 2.4.4 2.4.5

Notes:

Measurements of annual harvest of forest products provides a diagnostic measure. The comparison of removal rates (drain) against the volume determined to be sustainable, provides a measure of current sustainability. Predictive trends can be determined by making projections into the future.

Notes: NA; Structure, function and composition are ecological parameters

Box I: Underlying Concepts:

Balancing inputs and outputs of biological systems is necessary to maintain energy flows.

Box J: Relevance to Sustainable/Unsustainable Management:

Multiple resource values are correlated with measures of the forest resource. For example, forest stand characteristics are used as a measure of wildlife habitat quality and quantity. Therefore measurements of the forest resource provide insightful information about other forest benefits.

This indicator is relevant because it provides a tool for achieving an evenflow of forest commodities including fiber production and all other ammenities.

Box K: Measurement Methods:

Forest Inventories and Fish and Game Inventories of big game species provide baseline information for comparison to determine sustainabilty. Through continuous reevaluation of the resource inventories management adjustments can be made to balance the system.

Box L: Data Required:

• Forest Inventories
• Fish and Game Inventories
• Inventories for other non-timber forest products

Box M: Data Used for the North American Test:

• BNF inventory
• BNF Forest Plan (AAC calculation), as well as for other ownership.

Box N: Example Results:

**Average from 1988 through 1996

Reference: Preliminary Analysis of the Management Situation, Southwest Idaho Ecogroup Forest Plan Revision, 1997,

Reference:

Preliminary Analysis of the Management Situation, Southwest Idaho Ecogroup Forest Plan Revision, 1997,

Box O: Assessing the Practicality:

Yes, this indicator can be tracked over time as shown by the years of data available. Since it is being done on a regular basis, this is not costly or difficult. Private ownerships may consider this data confidential in nature.

Box P: Assessing the Information Value:

Yes; As managers make comparisons of the annual harvest of forest products with allowable levels, they can determine whether they should reduce the harvest or if they can increase it.

Box Q: Overall assessment:

Because it is a direct measure of performance against the plan of sustainable removals.

Strength; information is generally available.

Weakness; The influence of natural disturbance like wildfires must be considered. Example; salvage efforts following a large fire would cause a short term increase in harvest removals, therefore this criteria needs to be used within the context of the "big picture" of the forest.

Regulation analysis considers only the portions of the forested ecosystem included in timber yield calculations; for example in the North American study area only 24% of the area is included in the yield calculation. Therefore it can be risky to draw conclusions about the whole ecosystem based on data and management prescriptions for only a small portion of the system.

Box R: Did you rewrite or revise to a new indicator. If so what?

Yes, to combine ideas included in CIFOR 3.2.3.

Box S: References:

• Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM). 1996. Criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management in Canada. Technical Report 1997. Cat. Fo75-3/6-1997E. ISBN 0-662-25623-9. Ottawa ON. 137p. pp. 83-85.
• USFS-Intermountain Region-BNF. Land and resource management plan for the Boise National Forest. Chapter II-37.
• Davis, L.S. and Johnson, K.N. 1987. Forest management. 3e. Mc Graw-Hill. 790 p. (pp 538-591).

• Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indians Affairs, National Archives of Records Administration. 1996. Timber management plans. pp 1.

• Idaho Department of Lands. 1998. Timber sales plan. 37p.
• Koski, W. 1998. Continuos forest inventory report. Southwestern Supervisory Area, 1996 Remeasurement. Idaho Department of Lands. pp 14-23.
• Koski, W. 1998. Continuos forest inventory report. Payette Lakes Supervisory Area, 1996 Remeasurement. Idaho Department of Lands. pp 11-21.

Please record your notes on evaluating the indicator here:

Detecting & recording of total harvests of game animals may not be accurate due to illegal harvest activities.

Harvests of all forest products that do not match or at least come close to their sustainable levels can, in time, lead to unsustainable conditions. In forests, tree density and composition will change through time resulting in greater susceptibility to fire and outbreaks of insect and/or diseases. Animal populations react in a similar fashion. As examples, the bison in Yellowstone National Park have not been regulated and populations have increased beyond the carrying capacity of the winter range within the park. As a consequence, the animals migrate out of the park where they come in contact and conflict with local cattle operations. Since the bison are suspected of carrying brucillosis, they are often killed to minimize losses to cattle ranchers.