Our project is based on a comprehensive literature review of three major forest types in the northeastern United States: pine barrens, transition hardwoods, and northern hardwoods. Each forest type had distinct tree species composition and stand dynamics, as well as different combinations of human land uses. We utilized refereed scientific journals and published texts to create a knowledge base about presettlement forests, natural disturbance, the changes people have caused since colonization, and the potential of various silvicultural and management techniques to ameliorate negative effects of historic and current land uses on biodiversity.

We synthesized scientific literature relating to the following areas for each forest type:

Presettlement Forest Composition and Dynamics

Species composition of presettlement forests was inferred from:

• tree pollen preserved in lake sediments
• historical records of witness trees recorded by surveyors and early accounts of European colonists
• reconstruction of early forests through tree core and forensic analysis
• observations of old-growth stands

Natural disturbance regime of presettlement forests was inferred from:

• charcoal preserved in lake sediments
• eyewitness records and historical documentation of disturbance
• evidence such as fire scars and growth history recorded in tree rings
• life history characteristics of the dominant presettlement species
• dynamics of contemporary stands resembling presettlement forests
• effects of natural disturbances (large and small) on contemporary forests

Postsettlement Forest Composition and Anthropogenic Effects

We summarized the effects of human activities in the following categories:

• agricultural development and revegetation following land abandonment
• extensive forest harvesting, including associated slash fires
• fire suppression in the 20 th century
• modification of natural animal populations, including extinctions and overpopulation of herbivores
• introduction of exotic species and diseases
• forest fragmentation and parcelization

Forest Management Options

We reviewed the outcomes of various silvicultural methods in each forest type, taking into account:

• practical and economic feasibility
• effect on native biodiversity
• effect on subsequent forest regeneration

We assessed the similarity of each silvicultural method to the presettlement disturbance regime, taking into account:

• disturbance frequency
• disturbance size, intensity, and spatial pattern
• structural legacies left by disturbance
• particular species favored or disfavored by disturbance

We then formulated silvicultural recommendations balancing:

• practical and economic feasibility
• similarity to presettlement disturbance regime
• potential to ameliorate problems caused by historic land use
• potential to benefit the greatest degree of native biodiversity