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Inquiry 3: Healthy Forests Now and Into the Future

Learn more about how people around the world are planning and maintaining healthy forests.

Inquiry 3: Healthy Forests Now and Into the Future

Planning For Healthy Forests

Did you know that people manage or work with forest resources to achieve goals and gain benefits? For example, people might have a goal of maintaining clean water for drinking and cooking. Clean water is a benefit of healthy forests. To gain and maintain this benefit, for example, people purposely leave forest areas undisturbed when they are close to streams and rivers. People may also plant vegetation next to streams and rivers to protect water resources (Figure 1).

an illustration of a river in a forest — **Figure 1**. Areas next to streams and rivers may be purposely left undisturbed or planted with trees and shrubs. Trees and other vegetation protect the stream or river from soil erosion, sediment, and pollutants. These managed areas are called stream buffers.
FIND Outdoors illustration by Stephanie Pfeiffer.

Forests are managed to achieve many different benefits. (You learned about these benefits in Inquiry 2.) Sustainable forest management is a method people use to gain and maintain desired benefits from their forests (Figure 2). Let’s examine the word “sustainable.” The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines sustainable in this way:

1. Capable of being sustained.
2. Of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.

A person cleaning brush and leaves in a forest — **Figure 2**. An example of managing forests sustainably is cleaning brush and leaves away from an area so that trees and food crops can be grown close together in that area, as this woman is doing in the United Republic of Tanzania. Photo courtesy of Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations/Simon Maina.

The second definition is the one that best describes sustainable forest management. Sustainable forest management includes the actions that forest managers take to produce benefits from healthy forests. No matter what benefits people want to gain from their forests, sustainable forest management is important. When forests are managed sustainably, people gain the benefits they want now and into the future. Sustainable forest management helps people balance the social, environmental, and economic benefits that forests provide. Sustainable forest management also recognizes the importance of providing benefits to present and future generations (Figure 3).

A family in the forest. The mom is leading a cow and two children are walking beside her. — **Figure 3**. Sustainable forest management enables people in Kyrgyzstan to provide for their children, and in the future, for their children to provide for their own children. Photo courtesy of Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations/Vyacheslav Oseledko.

FAO has defined an important way to understand sustainable forest management. This understanding has to do with the amount of land worldwide that is being managed as forests. FAO asked: How much of the world’s forest area is managed so that it remains healthy into the future?

FAO was interested in finding out how much of the world’s forests people manage to provide benefits. They found that in 2010, 2.1 billion hectares of forest area have a management plan to provide either forest products or environmental protection. The amount of land permanently managed as forests was slightly larger, making 2.2 billion hectares, and 1 billion of these hectares were in the tropical ecozones. The most successful forest management is done
with the aid of a forest management plan. A forest management plan is a written document that identifies what actions will be taken and when they will be taken. These actions are meant to gain particular benefits from the forest.

Forest management plans are important because when forests are managed for specific benefits identified in a plan, the chance of people gaining those benefits is increased
(Figure 4, Figure 5, and Figure 6). A forest management plan includes a specific statement of the benefits an individual or an organization would like to gain from the forest land. The plan also includes specific actions to be taken to gain those benefits and when those actions will be taken.

A line graph showing the percentage of land managed under a forest management plan from 1990 and 2010 — **Figure 4**. Percentage of forest land managed under a forest management plan between 1990 and 2010 by continent. FIND Outdoors illustration by Stephanie Pfeiffer.

A pie chart showing the amount of forest area under a management plan (in millions of hectares) in 2010 by continent — **Figure 5**. Amount of forest area under a management plan (in millions of hectares) in 2010 by continent.
FIND Outdoors illustration by Stephanie Pfeiffer.

A bar graph showing amount of forest area under a management plan as a percentage of total forest area (of countries that reported on this variable) in 2010 by continent. — **Figure 6**. Amount of forest area under a management plan as
a percentage of total forest area (of countries that reported on this variable) in 2010 by continent. FIND Outdoors illustration by Stephanie Pfeiffer.

Reflection Section

Putting Forest Management To The Test

FAO was also interested in learning more about forest management certification. Forest management certification occurs when an independent organization reviews and confirms that a forest is being managed according to a written plan.

When a forest is certified as being managed according to a written management plan, people can feel more comfortable that the best management practices are being used. People can also feel more confident that the forest benefits identified in the plan will be received.

People use forest certification programs to monitor areas under a forest management plan to make sure they meet certain conditions. People also use certification programs to
evaluate whether the written sustainable forest management plan is being followed.

When a plan describes a condition to be met, the condition is meant to protect the forest and the people for whom the forests are being managed. For example, certified sustainable forest management plans should protect the rights of indigenous people who live near or in the forest. These plans must also protect the rights of people who work in the forest or in forest-related jobs. The forest managers must restore forested ecosystems, if needed, and protect the forested ecosystems that they are managing. Biodiversity must be maintained in a certified forest. Forest certification provides a way to ensure that human rights and environmental health are being protected.

FAO collected information on two of the most widely used forest management certification programs. These programs are operated by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) (Figures 7 and 8; Table 1).

A graph showing Figure 82. Amount of the world’s forest area (in thousands of hectares) certifi ed under a certifi cation program by type of certifi cation program and total amount between 2000 and 2014. — **Figure 7**. Amount of the world’s forest area (in thousands of hectares) certified under a certification program by type
of certification program and total amount between 2000 and 2014. FSC = Forest Stewardship Council; PEFC =
Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.
FIND Outdoors illustration by Stephanie Pfeiffer.

A bar graph showing forest area under an international certification program as a percentage of total forest area by continent in 2014. — **Figure 8**. Forest area under an international certification program
as a percentage of total forest area by continent in 2014.
FIND Outdoors illustration by Stephanie Pfeiffer.

Table 1

Forest area under an international certifi cation program (in millions of hectares) by continent in 2014.
Continent	Africa	Asia	Europe	Noth and Central America	Oceania	South America
Forest area certified under an international scheme (million ha)	6.4	14	167	222	13	15

The number of forested hectares worldwide under forest certification programs increased from 14 million hectares in 2000 to 438 million hectares in 2014. The temperate and boreal ecozones had the greatest number of hectares under forest certification programs.

If you didn’t take tests or submit schoolwork for your teacher’s review, would you know whether you have improved in school? You might have a feeling one way or another, but you wouldn’t know for sure. Forest managers are in the same situation! Without doing an assessment, or monitoring, of their practices, forest managers and others may not know how well they are doing.

Worldwide, the condition of 83 percent of the world’s forests is monitored by forest managers and scientists in 116 countries. These countries periodically produce national reports about their forests. Eighty-six countries, covering 77 percent of the world’s forest area, include information describing how well their country is progressing toward sustainable forest management.

How Can Forest Monitoring Be Made Easier?

More forest land area is being periodically monitored worldwide for forest management practices and benefits. The USDA Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program has created a way to assist countries with forest monitoring. The FIA Program has developed a 15-step process to help tropical countries better understand and monitor their forest management. The FIA Program has worked with Honduras, Peru, Guyana, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Figure 9).

A map showing the countries using the FIA program — **Figure 9**. The countries using the FIA 15-step program to monitor their country’s forest management include Honduras, Peru, Guyana, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
FIND Outdoors map by Carey Burda and Stephanie Pfeiffer.

Reflection Section

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Social Studies Standards

Civic Ideals and Practices
Global Connections
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
People, Places, and Environments
Time, Continuity, and Change

Note To Educators

The Forest Service's Mission

The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.

What Is the Natural Inquirer?

Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.

Natural Inquirer bee sitting at a desk with paper and pencil

Meet the Scientists

Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.
What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?

Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.
Thinking About Science

Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.
Thinking About the Environment

Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.
Introduction

Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.
Method

Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.
Findings & Discussion

Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.
Reflection Section

Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.
Number Crunches

Presents an easy math problem related to the research.
Glossary

Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.
Citation

Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.
FACTivity

Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.

Science Education Standards

You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.

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Lessons

A guided reading lesson plans that walks students through each section of this article. It includes a graphic organizer for students to fill in as they read.
Lesson Plan – Inquiry 3 from World’s Forests 3 Edition
A guided reading lesson plans that walks students through each section of this article. It includes a graphic organizer for students to fill in as they read.
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Explore Lesson Plan Download Lesson Plan (PDF)

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Planning For Healthy Forests

Reflection Section

Putting Forest Management To The Test

Table 1

How Can Forest Monitoring Be Made Easier?

Reflection Section

FACTivity – Planning Your Own Forest

Glossary

certification

confirms

economic

endorsement

indigenous

monitor

Standards addressed in this Article:

Social Studies Standards

Note To Educators

The Forest Service's Mission

What Is the Natural Inquirer?

Meet the Scientists

What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?

Thinking About Science

Thinking About the Environment

Introduction

Method

Findings & Discussion

Reflection Section

Number Crunches

Glossary

Citation

FACTivity

Science Education Standards

We Welcome Feedback

Contact

Email

Lessons

Lesson Plan – Inquiry 3 from World’s Forests 3 Edition

Education Files