Towards a general model of forest management through time: evidence from Australia, USA, and Canada

This paper proposes and tests a hypothesis that there is a general model of forest management through time that applies to varying extents in several countries. It does so by analyzing at a synoptic level, evidence from the histories of United States, Canadian and Australian forest histories and to a lesser extent global forest management histories. The hypothesized stages are (i) traditional hunter-gatherer society, (ii) exploitive colonization, settlement and commercialization, (iii) wood resource protection, (iv) multiple use management, and finally, (v) sustainable forest management or ecosystem management. The developmentalist model of change presented here reveals a striking similarity in the stages or eras that these countries experienced in the struggle to manage public forest estates. Changing community values and economic circumstances produced similar stages in several countries. The details of policies and legislation may differ, the terminology may be different, even some stages may be missing, but the trajectory of change remains similar.