摘要：The social context within which forest managers operate today differs dramatically from that which existed fifty, thirty, or even ten years ago. Both government (public) and corporate (private) forest management decisions are coming under increased public scrutiny. A single, dominant forest management regime has existed in North America from the age of Fernow and Pinchot until today. That management regime is characterized by close relations between government regulators and industrial users/owners of forests, and an emphasis on industrial (fibre) uses of the vast majority of forest land. Over the last century that management regime has undergone evolutionary change without much interest or input from the general public. Times are changing rapidly. Environmental issues have increased in importance for the North American public in the last quarter century. However, it is only much more recently that the traditional paradigm of forest management has come under seige by a broad spectrum of stakeholder groups demanding greater input in forest management decision-making.
