I. Our forest

Introduction

This publication provides basic information about forest health to land managers, extension personnel, students, educators, those involved in setting public policy, and the general public.

There are some basic, scientifically quantifiable variables that most people consider to be important when measuring the health of forests. These include tree mortality, tree growth, reproduction, injury to trees, condition of the tree crowns (the portion of the tree where the leaves are), and species composition of the forest area. However, forest health is not always easy to define. Determining whether a given forest is healthy also involves perceptions, judgements, and personal standards.

In this booklet we describe:

• Part I: characteristics of rural and urban forests in the North Central Region and how forest health is being studied,
• Part II: some recent key results for the North Central Region from the National Forest Health Monitoring Program,
• Part III: factors that place stress on our forest and ways forest health has recently been affected by these factors.

Finally, on the back cover you will find a list of helpful phone numbers that will aid you in obtaining further information if you are interested.

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