Current and emerging biodiversity issues: a case study of old-growth eastern hardwood forests

Future forest management of public lands must consider the maintenance and protection of biodiversity. There are different levels of biodiversity to be considered ranging from genetic diversity in individuals to diversity of landscapes and regions. Old-growth forests are examples of ecosystem diversity. Their compositional, structural, and changing attributes are valuable for maintaining high levels of biological diversity in our eastern forests. This paper uses old-growth cove hardwood forests of the Southern Appalachians as an example of one level of biodiversity. Characteristics of these forests are presented along with related issues such as size, location, maintenance, and values of this old-growth forest type.

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