Educating resource technicians to the new concept of ecological classification systems

Abstract

The topics o f Ecosystem Management (EM) and Ecological Classification Systems (ECS) are appearing more frequently in forest management literature. These systems facilitate our understanding, not only o f forests from a tree standpoint, but also by the associations o f shrubs, plants, soils, climatic and geological influences considered when describing a forest community for which a stand of trees is a component. This paper specifically describes the ECS commonly used by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) as well as the U.S. Forest Service. Terminology associated with the description o f ecological units is listed and field techniques used by entry-level resource technicians are provided to help understand and utilize the ECS.