PARENT SESSION
Special Session - Technology Transfer and Extension in Forest Landscape Ecology: What, to Whom and How? Chair(s): Perera, Ajith¹, ¹ Ontario Forest Research Institute, Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Thursday, April 1, 2004 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM Apollo Room 2

Forest landscape ecology has evolved and matured to a point where we can begin to confidently transfer some science and tools for forest policy makers and practitioners. A substantial body of information, knowledge, and technology has accumulated during the last 10-15 years.
Some forest/land management agencies, forest companies, and
NGOs have recognized the importance of landscape ecology, and are making efforts to incorporate principles of LE and tools in to their management planning. However, they face many obstacles in this task.
Technology transfer and extension is a relatively alien topic to forest landscape ecologists, and there has been very little dialogue on this topic among landscape ecology professional meetings.

Examples of forest landscape ecology in practice: Case study – U.S. Forest Service. ^*CROW, THOMAS R. , ¹ USDA Forest Service, Washington, DC, USA

ABSTRACT- Scientists in the United States Forest Service conduct research on a broad array of topics in the biological, physical, and social sciences. Although there are few Research Work Units in the Forest Service with landscape ecology in the title, landscape-level studies are frequently conducted. The common issue that links this research is the fact that land and water are finite, while demands on both are increasing. Because resource managers are trained at the level of an individual organism or at the level of a forest stand, and likewise, most researchers are trained in reductionism science, perceiving ecological systems at large temporal and spatial levels is frequently not part of their experience. This is changing. There is now widespread appreciation for a big picture approach to resource management in which local decisions are made within the broader context provided by regional and landscape analyses. Now the challenge is to deliver on our promises and to provide the knowledge and tools that allow managers and planners to implement a landscape approach to solve important problems in the real world. We have much work to do in this arena.

KEY WORDS: landscape ecology, application, resource management, usda forest service