Rob Riley

Concord, NH — In response to the Monitor’s article on forestry, I want to share why I believe ecological forestry is our best tool for ensuring healthy, resilient forests in the future. …The multiple impacts of climate change — extreme weather, invasive pests and pathogens, changing seasonal patterns — are increasingly evident on the landscape and are impacting biodiversity and forest health. …Today, foresters incorporate carbon uptake and storage, climate resilience, a greater focus on biodiversity and other critical concerns in forest management. Ecological forestry prioritizes forest health and integrity. …Rather than focusing primarily on timber, ecological forestry sees the entire puzzle — yet it also allows for harvesting forest products — which people need for everything from building homes to paper products and which landowners depend on for revenue to support keeping forests as forests. …You can help by rejecting over-simplified arguments against managing forests and using forest products.