Biodiversity and forest management : five forest management plans evaluated

Abstract

The five forest management plans evaluated are: Trout Lake, Nipissing, French-Severn, Kapuskasing, and, Whiskey Jack.

Biodiversity is a complex concept that encompasses the structure, composition and function of the four levels of biological organization (genetic, species, ecosystem and landscape). A thorough understanding of these concepts and the implementation of the concepts in management are central to the conservation o f biodiversity. Examining Ontario forest management plans to evaluate their approach to biodiversity is important to identify how well forest management is dealing with the concepts o f biodiversity. Five Ontario forest management plans were examined using an evaluation form and associated criteria. The five plans were: the Trout Lake Forest Management Plan, the Nipissing Forest Management Plan, the French-Sevem Forest Management Plan, the Kapuskasing Forest Management Plan, and the Whiskey Jack Forest Management Plan. The evaluation procedure was developed based on current literature that identified management techniques for the conservation of biodiversity. A score was assigned based on the comparison of the plan against the criteria. A chi-square test was conducted to determine if there were significant differences between the selected plans. There were no significant differences among the plans regarding their individual approaches to biodiversity. The Whiskey Jack Forest Management Plan was most thorough in its attempt to address important biodiversity concepts. Four of the five plans failed to identify the genetic level of biodiversity as a consideration in management. Addressing important biodiversity concepts in the context of forest management planning is essential to biodiversity conservation. By identifying areas where management plans could improve would initiate ground-level research into the biodiversity of northern regions and as a result would promote the conservation of biodiversity.