Can intensive silviculture contribute to sustainable forest management in northern ecosystems?

In the midst of changing social, ecological, and technical realities, inter est in intensive silviculture has resurfaced. Intensive silviculture could build on previous silvicultural approaches, simply intensifying use of the treatments or treatment combinations identified in this paper to increase t imber production, but the costs and benefits for specific treatments or tre atment combinations remains unclear. Or intensive silviculture could be bas ed on new thinking, refocusing so that increasing amounts of fibre are prod uced on dramatically younger, agricultural-like fibre farms located in area s that have the longest possible growing season. If fibre farming, using ei ther natural or artificial regeneration, becomes increasingly more importan t, emphasis will start to be placed as much on equipment and integration of fibre production with manufacturer needs as on previously standard silvicu ltural treatments. Regardless of the form taken, some reject the suggested advantages of intensive silviculture, recommending instead a knowledge-inte nsive integrated approach or a combination of approaches. Although integrat ed landscape management is increasingly becoming the foundation for forest management, silvicultural direction remains unclear. Silviculturalists and managers will reap rewards by increasing silvicultural intensity only if th eir plans are scientifically based and socially acceptable. Before reasonab le silvicultural directions can be developed, responsible parties need to f rame and agree on the most realistic approaches that address both social an d ecological concerns. Calls for increased silvicultural intensity are base d on the recognition that status quo management could result in increasing fibre imports to satisfy local producer and consumer needs. Still, much of our naturally less productive northern forested land base seems far from ri pe for increasing silvicultural intensity dramatically. Even so, those who continue status quo forest management solely may become increasingly less c ompetitive. In an increasingly interdependent world market-based economy it is unclear whether intensive silviculture in northern ecosystems can be co mpetitive with production in other parts of the world.