Forests and Wildlife
Purpose
To highlight the interdependence between forests, forest management, wildlife, and the habitat required to meet wildlife species’ needs over time and space.
Scope
The influence of forest management and wildlife on forest composition, structure, condition, as well as the elements needed to support healthy and diverse populations of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife.
Position
The Society of American Foresters (SAF) advocates for the essential role that active forest management plays in sustaining and restoring wildlife habitats, key habitat elements, and associated species. Through science-based forest management practices, natural resources managers can maintain and balance the compositional, functional, and structural diversity of forests at various spatial and temporal scales. SAF recognizes that forest management decisions can have both positive and negative impacts on wildlife by altering the amount, quality, extent, diversity, and connectivity of wildlife habitat across the landscape through time. Managing wildlife species’ populations may be necessary to reduce habitat degradation, as both native and invasive wildlife species have a direct impact on forest structure and composition. SAF supports and promotes research, policies, and practices that sustain wildlife and forest ecosystems and encourages collaboration between forestry and wildlife professionals.
Approved: December 2023