Tools to Transform Management of the World's Forests

 

Demand for wood is rising. So are pressures to preserve wilderness. To accommodate both, commercial forests will have to be managed more intensively, while protecting conservation reserves and environmentally sensitive areas. But forest managers lack both the detailed data on forest conditions and the software tools needed to coax more productivity and profit from forest resources while reducing environmental impact. 

Better digital maps would enable foresters to classify forest type and health. Prospective forest modeling and visualization tools could also enable forest managers to plan more carefully and to optimize application of fertilizer or herbicides. 

 Handheld devices and laptop computers are already helping managers and logging crews get access to data and software tools in the forest. Eventually forest managers would like to use the Internet to access sophisticated spatial analyses of forests. 

Providing the tools and information services for sustainable forestry could be a substantial business. There are 65,000 foresters in the United States alone, and they manage commercial and other privately-owned forests with a market value of $240 billion.