Flexibility in forest management: managing uncertainty in Douglas-fir forests of the Pacific Northwest

Long planning horizons generate substantial uncertainty in forest management, making management flexibility, the ability to choose between multiple options or opportunities, a desirable attribute of managed forests. Flexibility in forest management reflects both the relative rigidity of intervention requirements and the potential range of development pathways for a stand. The wind stability of Pacific Northwest Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] France) plantations is used to demonstrate the concept of management flexibility Dense Douglazs-fir plantations develop high height to diameter ratios (H/D same units) in the dominant trees making them unstable and prone to wind damage. The management of these plantations is inflexible, because without early and timely thinning, the stands do not contain stable trees that could be expected to survive long rotations or late thinnings. A combination of reduced planting densities and site-specific management reduces both the necessity and rigidity of intervention requirements (e.g., thinning) and expands the number of potential developmental pathways for these stands. The cost of greater management flexibility is reduced efficiency of wood volume production: however, greater adaptability to changing markets, labor conditions, and management objectives may be more important for many forest owners. While this approach to management is complex, it frees owners and managers from rigid management requirements and allows for a wider range of future stand conditions. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.