The geography of forest management

A review of forest management plans, regulations, best management practices, and certification standards from across the United States and organizational types was conducted to identify the use of geographic principles in forest management activities. Specifically, the focus was on the concepts of area, distance and proximity, direction and orientation, elevation, connectivity, and adjacency, and how these may guide or relate to forest management activities. The review involved examining materials developed by federal, state, and local agencies, private landowners, non-governmental organizations, industry, and others, and focused on unique uses of geographic concepts in forest management across the United States. Geography is not only an important part of a person’s understanding and sense of place but is intertwined with management decision making and the regulation of multiple aspects of a forest. We argue that a geographic mindset is not only part of a person’s experience of a place but also acts as a basis for the management of forests and natural resources.