• Whitman, Andrew
  Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences
  

Next to deforestation (i.e., forest conversion), the rapid loss of late-successional (LS) forests (forest older than economic mature forest) from managed forest landscapes is a leading cause of the loss of temperate forest biodiversity worldwide. LS forests are crucial in the Northern Forest region for a limited number of species and ecological processes which will widely disappear unless this forest age class is more appropriately conserved. Reserves occupy such a small percentage of the Northern Forest area that reserves alone are unlikely to conserve LS forest biodiversity. Therefore, active management for LS forest will be an essential part of successful forest conservation in the Northern Forest region. However, land managers lack the tools to effectively conserve LS forests and meet regional economic needs. Therefore, immediate solutions must focus on tools for maintaining and restoring LS forests in managed forests across the region.