The role of microbial indicators of soil quality in ecological forest management

Ecological management is gaining acceptance as an encompassing philosophy i n forest resource management. In keeping with this new paradigm, the Canadi an Standards Association is creating a forest certification process to ensu re that forest products are generated through sustainable forestry. However , a great deal of research is needed to develop and assess soil indicators of ecological sustainability. This paper discusses the role and usefulness of microbial indicators of soil quality in the ecological management of for ests and the forest certification process. Suitable microbial indicators of soil conservation should be closely linked to critical ecological processe s, should be documented properly across various ecosystem types, should be easy to use, and must evolve with new scientific knowledge.