Perspectives: Regenerative forestry – Managing forests for soil life
Cindy E. Prescott
Abstract
Current forestry policies and practices give little consideration to stewarding forest soils as living ecosystems. I propose five practices that promote soil biodiversity and function. 1. Maintain living roots by minimizing the proportion of harvested areas more than 10 m from a living tree stem. 2. Fertilize stands at rates that maintain C flux belowground, and make use of tree species with N-fixing associates. 3. Include functionally and phylogenetically diverse tree species, especially broadleaf species in conifer plantations. 4. Include diverse forest types and ensure that all forest development stages are represented in forested landscapes. 5. Monitor soil quality and harvest stands only when soil quality metrics meet or exceed those measured at the start of the rotation. Stewarding soil life and function will foster resilience in managed forests.