From Timber Management to Ecosystem Management

There has never been a definition for ecosystem management that satisfies everyone; often it seems to satisfy no one. The conservation-minded publics, including conservation biologists, read "ecosystem" loud and clear, while the commodity-minded publics, especially forest industries, read "management". There are many interpretations of ecosystem management across the full spectrum from the preservationist to the clear-cutter. District-level managers seem to find themselves caught in the same old tangle of reconciling public concerns with Congressional timber directives, the same dilemma that led to National Forest conflicts in the first place.

But this is not hopeless. For the first time since the U.S. Forest Service embraced industrial-style management fifty years ago, the very term "ecosystem" gives managers an insight they have not been exposed to in recent decades. The entrenched objective of "forest" management was simply "timber" management: the growing of trees for commercial use and economic return. The intent of the shift from forest to ecosystem is (in theory at least) to recognize and protect the values of the forest community as a whole.

U.S. Forest Service policy makers are struggling with this shift. How can management ensure the sustainability of the full range of species and natural processes in forest ecosystems, and still provide all of the multiple uses and products required by law? Implementation of the new policy requires a large reduction in timber goals, which neither Congress nor the U.S. Forest Service is yet willing to authorize. Therein lies the current failure of ecosystem management to be implemented on the ground.By almost any scientific assessment, ecosystem management must emphasize the long-term maintenance, or sustainability, of biological diversity in all of its dimensions (species and community composition, plus genetic and structural diversity). Fortunately, there is general agreement on the definition of biodiversity: the variety of life native to a region, including species and their habitats, and all of the natural processes that tie these elements together through time. Biodiversity is the support system of our planet and, ultimately, of our own human species. Enhancement of biodiversity is intended to be a top priority in ecosystem management decisions.

Ecosystem management on the Chattooga River watershed must focus on the landscape level. The modern science of conservation biology has devised a model for restoring and maintaining old growth across a forested landscape. The model is fundamentally the same as one proposed in 1932 by the Ecological Society of America (Shelford, 1993 cites a unanimous decision of the Society on December 28, 1932). Then, as now, scientists recognized the importance of natural habitats being large enough and sufficiently connected across the landscape to support evolutionary processes. More recently in 1988, the International Biosphere Reserve concept was introduced as a means for preserving native biodiversity on a large scale. This model was adopted by the United Nations for their Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere (SAMAB) program, with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as its core. The same model can be adapted on a smaller scale to individual watersheds.

To fully implement the concepts promoted in 1932 and more recently in 1988, a network of biological reserves connected across the landscape of the Southern Appalachians must be established. The Chattooga watershed is uniquely suited to serve as a key element in such a reserve network design. Roughly seventy percent of its land area is in public ownership. This watershed contains several protected areas already, such as the Ellicott Rock Wilderness, the National Wild and Scenic Chattooga River Corridor and other special management areas. The Chattooga River watershed is situated in one of the two most diverse ecosystems in North America. The Wild and Scenic River Corridor in particular could serve a unique role as a link between this diverse Southern Appalachian mountain ecosystem and the adjoining piedmont ecosystem. Furthermore, the river is considered one of the "crown jewels of the Southeast" and provides some of the best opportunities in the area for wilderness experiences, whitewater recreation, hunting and fishing. These outstanding recreational opportunities have fueled a high level of public support for protection of this unique natural resource, and for the larger ecosystem of which it is a part.

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