What is "Forest Restoration" to you??

[Fotoware58]

With Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack's speech about our nation's forests, what should the definition of "Forest Restoration" be in the legal sense of the term? The dictionary definition for restoration is "renewal, repairing and re-establishment". Will the USDA/Forest Service be able to do what Vilsack was promising? Do you support his proposal? Do you have a better idea? Will extremists derail the whole process with lawsuits??

Already, extremists have branded Vilsack to be an "enemy". My first impression of him is that he is unprepared and uninformed about the true scope of the problems in all of our National Forests. I think he's more focused on restoring private forests and providing subsidies for private landowners to keep forests from being sold and developed. Regarding National Forests, his idea of "restoration" is much closer to "preservation", IMHO (although he has purposely been vague about specific concepts and treatments).

Now is the time to chime in on what we should be doing with our unnatural and unhealthy forests, impacted by "climate change", overstocking and bark beetles. Please be as specific as you can.

Thanks

[jody]

1. IMO the goal of "Forest Restoration" is to return it to its "climax forest" state, i.e.

"A plant community dominated by trees representing the culminating stage of natural succession for that specific locality and environment."

[RC]

2. Stop cutting down virgin forests.

Stop trying to manage them also. They do better without our interference... err help and have been doing just fine for many tens of thousands of years.
When we finally go extinct, there won't be anything of value left.