global ecological cycles. This stresses the importance
of expanding the meaning of sustainability by embedding
it within a general framework of ecological stability.
Further, the possibilities of an increase in
climatic variation within the next tree generation
emphasize the importance of ecosystem flexibility and
stability.
Until now silviculture has been based upon information
gained partly through local management experiments.
Thus silviculture is mainly based upon
empirical knowledge limited in time and space and
lacking a basis of ecological understanding. This has
led to the development of management systems which
exceed the ecological carrying capacity and lead to
losses in sustainability and even to pronounced decline
phenomena.
A new scientilic approach is needed to develop a
program of forest management which satisfies sustainability
in its broad sense. Silviculture must develop
from the empirical manipulation of stand structures into
a science of ecosystem management founded upon
knowledge of system processes and interactions. Today
this knowledge is still very sparse, and much more
research in systems ecology is needed.