ASTM_D_7480_-_08_2014.pdf

Designation:D748008(Reapproved 2014)Standard Guide forEvaluating the Attributes of a Forest Management Plan1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D7480;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This guide provides a list of criteria and indicators thathave been shown to be useful in achieving the goals of asustainable forest management plan.This guide lists a set ofcriteria considered to be important for the following tasks:1.1.1 To describe,assess,and evaluate progress towardsustainability of forest management at the national,regional,orindividual forest level.1.1.2 To inform the policy debate at regional,national,andinternational levels.1.1.3 To evaluate the attributes of a forest managementcertification or evaluation system with a specific combinationof forest management principles,practices,or adaptations,where such practices are evaluated against a set of prescribedstandards.Although this guide provides a qualitative list ofcriteria for evaluation of forest conditions,it does not purportto recommend any specific forest management certification orevaluation system or subset of overall attributes.The guidedoes not replace forest certification or verification standards.1.2 This guide will require compilation of information frommultiple sources across various governmental and nongovern-mental agencies.For this guide to be useful,it is recommendedthat the information collected is in alignment with that whichis already collected for other purposes;otherwise these indi-cators may be too great an effort to combine in a timelyfashion.NOTE1Although this document provides general guidance applicableto forests and forest products from many countries,its initial applicationis expected to focus on North America.1.3 This guide cannot replace education or experience andshould be used in conjunction with professional judgment suchas that provided by foresters,forest scientists,and woodtechnologists.1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D9 Terminology Relating to Wood and Wood-Based Prod-ucts3.Terminology3.1 DefinitionsStandard definitions of wood terms aregiven in Terminology D9.3.2 Definitions of Terms Related to the Field of Forestry:3.2.1 criterion,na category of conditions or processes bywhich sustainable forest management may be assessed.Acriterion is characterized by a set of related indicators whichare monitored periodically to assess change.Montral Process33.2.2 criterion indicator,na measure(measurement)of anaspect of the criterion.A quantitative or qualitative variablewhich can be measured or described and which when observedperiodically demonstrates trends.Montral Process33.2.3 ecosystem,na dynamic complex of plant,animal,fungal,and micro-organism communities and the associatednon-living environment with which they interact.Montral Process33.2.4 forest management practice,na specific activity,measure,course of action,or treatment.USFS43.2.5 forest type,na category of forest defined by itsvegetation,particularly composition,or locality factors,or anycombination thereof,as categorized by each country in asystem suitable to its situation.Montral Process31This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D07 on Wood and isthe direct responsibility of Subcommittee D07.08 on Forests.Current edition approved Feb.1,2014.Published February 2014.Originallyapproved in 2008.Last previous edition approved in 2008 as D748008.DOI:10.1520/D7480-08R14.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3“Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management ofTemperate and Boreal Forests,”The Montral Process,Third Edition,December2007,Online,available,http:/www.rinya.maff.go.jp/mpci/meetings/an-6.pdf,1 De-cember 2008.4Available from the United States Forestry Service(USFS),1400 IndependenceAve.,SW Washington,DC 20250-0003,http:/www.fs.fed.us.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 TABLE 1 Criteria 16CriterionElementIndicator1.Conservation of biologicaldiversity1.1 Ecosystem diversity1.1a Area and percent of forest by forest ecosystem type,successional stage,age class,and forest ownership or tenure1.1b Area and percent of forest in protected areas by forest ecosystem type and by ageclass or successional s