SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY is an emerging concept for managing renewable forest resources. It's a complex term that means different things to different people.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) spelled out its definition of sustainable forestry to ensure that it was both complete and scientifically correct. This definition is based largely on the Bruntland Commission on Sustainable Development adopted by the international Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

"Sustainable forestry means managing our forests to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs by practicing a land stewardship ethic which integrates the growing, maturing, and harvesting of trees for useful products with the conservation of soil, air, and water quality, and wildlife and fish habitat."