Old growth, disturbance, forest succession, and management

The Northwest Forest Plan focused on conservation and restoration of ecologically-valuable, multi-layered old-growth forests that developed after centuries of succession and were widely lost to logging during the 20^th century. Old-growth forest characteristics and processes vary with environment, age, and fire regime. We now understand that fire exclusion has altered old-growth forests in many areas and reduced landscape diversity. Research indicates that approaches to forest conservation, restoration, and promotion of resilience to fire and climate change will vary geographically and need to consider all types of old growth and other vegetation types, including fire-dependent old growth and diverse, early-seral vegetation.