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

Long planning horizons generate substantial uncertainty in forest managemen t, making management flexibility, the ability to choose between multiple op tions or opportunities, a desirable attribute of managed forests. Flexibili ty 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 managemen t flexibility Dense Douglazs-fir plantations develop high height to diamete r ratios (H/D same units) in the dominant trees making them unstable and pr one to wind damage. The management of these plantations is inflexible, beca use without early and timely thinning, the stands do not contain stable tre es that could be expected to survive long rotations or late thinnings. A co mbination of reduced planting densities and site-specific management reduce s both the necessity and rigidity of intervention requirements (e.g., thinn ing) and expands the number of potential developmental pathways for these s tands. 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 owner s and managers from rigid management requirements and allows for a wider ra nge of future stand conditions. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.