Criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management

Sustainable development is a term reflecting human, societal, and environme ntal values and in order to determine progress toward this goal: it is nece ssary to identify and define these values, and for governments or other ins titutions to establish the means to assess progress. Canada is directly inv olved in national and international processes to assess the sustainability of forest management processes using Criteria and Indicators. These consist of a group of broad core values (Criteria) and are supported by an number of measures (Indicators) to assess status or progress toward the realizatio n of these values. Measuring and monitoring indicators is necessary to demo nstrate progress toward sustainable development nationally and internationa lly. The criteria that have been identified include the traditional concept s of timber values, and include economics, environmental, social values, an d national infrastructures. Each criterion is supported by a number of indi cators to track progress. Countries in the international process also colla borate on defining terms, methods of reporting, and improving and enhancing indicators. C&I facilitate international reporting and provide a framework for international agreements while reflecting national differences in char acteristics and descriptions of forests. The reporting process has stimulat ed the emergence of forest management issues that will influence forest sci ence and forest ecosystem management in the future. For Canada, these inclu de the development of a national system of forest ecosystem inventory, and ecological classification, the interpretation of the range of historic vari ation, and the adequacy and applicability of data sources.