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Mature and Old-Growth Forests. Mature and old-growth forests offer biological diversity, carbon sequestration, wildlife and fisheries habitat, recreation, soil productivity, water quality and aesthetic beauty. These special forests also reflect diverse tribal, spiritual, and cultural values.
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Apr 20, 2023 · Mature forests are defined ecologically as the stage of forest development immediately before old growth. The mature stage generally begins when a forest stand moves beyond self-thinning, and is often marked by abundance of large trees, vertical canopy layers, aboveground biomass accumulation and stand height, as well as other attributes.
Based on the initial inventory, Forest Service and BLM lands contain roughly 32 million acres of old growth and about 80 million acres of mature forest. Old growth represents 18 percent and mature another 45 percent of all forested land managed by the two agencies.
May 13, 2024 · The presence and persistence of mature and old-growth trees on the landscape provides valuable forest structural diversity, seed sources for forest regeneration, and ecosystem resilience against future disturbances. These special forests also reflect diverse tribal, spiritual, and cultural values.
By integrating Tribal management strategies and Indigenous Knowledge into mature and old-growth forest management, the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management benefit from important perspectives and experience gained across centuries of managing mature and old-growth forests.
Common cultural definitions and common denominators regarding what comprises old-growth forest, and the variables that define, constitute and embody old-growth forests include: The forest habitat possesses relatively mature, old trees; The tree species present have long continuity on the same site;
Apr 26, 2023 · Federal scientists had never previously attempted to define “mature forests.” The team settled on a definition that included forests exceeding a set threshold of the structural characteristics that are associated with old-growth forests.
