Measuring and responding to forest degradation in Canada: an operational framework
Forest degradation resulting from human disturbance is a global concern that contributes to biodiversity loss, climate change, and reduced human health and well-being. The objective of this paper is to develop a framework for measuring and responding to forest degradation, and to identify a suite of indicators of forest change and describe their potential utility. The most significant challenges associated with measuring and responding to degradation are the lack of an agreed upon reference condition, the attribution of indicator change to specific pressures, and the integration of multiple indicators. We make seven recommendations that will improve our capacity to measure and respond to degradation including using a phased and adaptive process that integrates research with monitoring, and the integration of field-based research and remote sensing with ecosystem models to evaluate outcomes in relation to multiple policy scenarios. In addition, we recommend the use of multiple indicators to capture a wide range of forest characteristics at multiple spatial scales. We recognize that ecological and biophysical state indicators are the most informative for identifying forest degradation, but that measuring drivers, pressures, and responses are also necessary for weighing trade-offs and to support policy change as a response to degradation.
Authors
- Dave Morris (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5739-0594)
- Ellen Whitman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4562-3645)
- Christa Mooney
- Chelene C. Hanes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7742-7120)
- Daniel W. McKenney (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8538-2145)
- Barry J. Cooke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8347-9832)
- André Arsenault (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2209-9934)
- Jason A. Leach (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6639-7993)
- B. P. Smiley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3534-8659)
- Eric W. Neilson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8041-485X)
- Diana Stralberg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4900-024X)
- Nicolas Mansuy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1961-0928)
- Katalijn MacAfee
- Erik J. S. Emilson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1516-9728)
- Anna Drake (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1963-353X)
- H.F. Macdonald
- Douglas E.B. Reid (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0967-5122)
- Martin P. Girardin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0436-7486)
- Chris J.K. MacQuarrie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8760-746X)
- Jason Edwards
- C. Smyth (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0270-6480)
- J.P. Brandt
- Ben Filewod
- Caroline Gagné
- Joanne C. White (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4674-0373)
- Eliot J. B. McIntire (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6914-8316)
- David Paré (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0177-6428)
- Lisa Venier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7738-1361)
- G. Stinson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9679-4874)
- Andrew Judge
- Romi Oshier
- Karima Bakka
Institutions
- Canadian Forest Service (CA)
- Natural Resources Canada (CA)
- Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (CA)
- Forestry Research Centre (IT)
- Great Lakes Institute of Management (IN)
- Algoma University (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Environmental Reviews
- Published
- 2025-01-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1139/er-2024-0085
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Forest Management and Policy
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.11