Forest Operations Manual. The Conservation Forestry Program

Summary

The Conservation Forestry Program works in partnership with private landowners to promote the economic productivity of working forests while protecting the ecological health and natural diversity of the landscapes in which they occur. Guided by a set of core conservation forestry principles, the program is committed to maintaining healthy forests and the plants and animals that depend on them, protecting soil productivity and water quality, and managing native forest systems for long-term, high-quality timber production.

The program seeks to optimize sustainable returns for landowners by managing each forest parcel in an exemplary manner, pursuing premium markets for forest products, and minimizing the negative impacts of harvesting by emulating natural forest processes and patterns. Integrity, continuous improvement, and adaptive management are central to program operations, with practices regularly reassessed to reflect ecological understanding and market conditions. Through this balanced approach, the Conservation Forestry Program demonstrates how working forests can deliver economic value while sustaining resilient ecosystems and landscapes for the future.

Introduction - Chapter 1 

Protecting Water Quality - Chapter 2

Protecting Rare Species & Communities - Chapter 3

Maintaining Biodiversity - Chapter 4

Maintaining and Enhancing Soil Health - Chapter 5

Addressing Social Concerns - Chapter 6

Writing Management Plans - Chapter 7

Writing Silvicultural Prescriptions -  Chapter 8

Designing and Building Road Systems - Chapter 9

Timber Harvesting and Marketing - Chapter 10

Appendix - The Planning Process

References

Citation

Helm, A. C., Paretti, M., Lindeman, S., & Gilges, K. (2019). Forest operations manual. The conservation forestry program. The Nature Conservancy.