Forest Landscape Ecology: Transferring Knowledge to Practice

Forested landscapes have provided many important testing grounds for the devel- ment and application of landscape ecological principles and methods in North America. This central role of forests in landscape ecology emerged for several reasons. Forest cover is prominent in many regions of North America, from the temperate deciduous forests of the east to the coniferous forests of the north and west. Changes in forest spatial patterns are readily apparent to the human eye―natural disturbances and timber harvests alter the arrangement of forest age classes across the landscape and this, in turn, influences many species and ecosystem processes; land-use changes have produced profound fluctuations in forest cover over several centuries; increasing re- dential development in rural areas is often concentrated within forests; and public lands include many forested landscapes. Management actions, such as varying the amount, size, and location of harvests, also represent landscape-scale “experiments” that provide valuable opportunities for study. Finally, forest patterns are readily detectable from remote imagery, and are thus amenable to study at broad scales. For these reasons, forests have provided motivation and many opportunities for studying the complex relationships between patterns and processes in many areas. The importance of landscape-level considerations in the management and c- servation of forested landscapes has become increasingly important, and a variety of stakeholders are involved.

The discipline of landscape ecology has matured rapidly over the past few decades, generating a wealth of knowledge that can be used to enhance forest policy development and management. However, much of this knowledge has yet to be applied in practice.

Forest Landscape Ecology: Transferring Knowledge to Practice is the first book to introduce landscape ecologists to the discipline of knowledge transfer. The book considers knowledge transfer in general, critically examines aspects of transfer that are unique to forest landscape ecology, and reviews several case studies of successful applications for policy developers and forest managers in North America. Readers are encouraged to recognize the value of sharing their knowledge, and to understand their role in active knowledge transfer. The intent is to connect, as seamlessly and effectively as possible, ecological principles to policy and practice.

This book is written for researchers, academics and students in landscape ecology and related fields, as well as policymakers and land and resource managers who are interested in landscape-level approaches.

About the Editors:

Ajith H. Perera is a research scientist and leads the Forest Landscape Ecology Program at the Ontario Forest Research Institute. Lisa J. Buse is a forest biologist who coordinates technology transfer for the Ontario Forest Research Institute. Thomas R. Crow is national program leader for ecological research and environmental sciences with the USDA Forest Service.