Growing up in Camas Washington, forests were his playground, but they were disappearing: cleared and then developed. As a child he resolved to protect forests; doing what he could to stop their loss and restore them. He also pledged to hold himself accountable, sitting annually with a group of trees to recount his efforts — a ritual in which the forest embraced him as its own. Here, Jerry shares his some of his thinking.

What changes have you seen in forests and forest management since you began your work?

The changes have been massive. When I began, our forests were managed for wood supply and longer-term perspectives of many decades. Now, private forests are managed for return on investment. The majority of these forestlands are owned by investment firms and banks, aiming for short-term returns, and held for perhaps a decade before resale. Conservation easements can keep private forests on the right track ecologically and long-term. Federal forests used to supplement supply, but a few decades ago, management shifted towards broader ecological values. Now, that is in flux again, which is a challenge.

Forest research shifted from a sole focus on producing more commodities as fast as possible to a focus on understanding the ecological function of forests, especially as watersheds. By the 1980-90s, we saw the split between those who focus just on trees and fiber production and those who focus on the whole forest.

What do you see as our greatest challenge in forest management?

Many forest landscapes are dominated by plantations. These are not resilient — they’re biological deserts. They do not store carbon. So the challenge is converting these into more functional, mature forests. This is true of public forests, too. We must learn how to manage these 30- 50 year old plantations so they recover their greater forest functions and can become mature forests. Over 40% of the ‘late seral reserves’ on federal forests are plantations. Managing them ecologically will help both the economy and the forest. The scientific community now sees forests as systems, not just a collection of products. And that understanding isn’t going away. The public gets it too. For resilience, we must focus on the forest itself.

What advice would you share with foresters?

Stay open-minded and keep evolving. Forests differ. What works in one forest type may not in another. Know your forest’s ecology and maintain all of its capabilities. If you do, it can recover in the future. Forests have built-in variability: in age, spatially, and composition and structure. Keep the basic complexity.

What is your thinking about how to manage fire?

You must recognize the vast difference between the frequent-fire forests in the interior PNW and the infrequent or ‘almost never-fire’ forests on the coast or at high altitudes. They really vary in the level of burn that can be sustained. But, given time, almost all will recover. Watching succession after the Mt. St. Helens eruption — from lava flows to wildflowers — is amazing. And the forest is coming back. Fire inherently reduces density and reduces ground fuels. In fire-suppressed forests, that’s what you need to to do to prepare for fire: reduce fuels to reduce fire intensity.

Jerry, what gives you hope about people and forests?

I have faith in people — when I was part of ‘The Gang of 4,’ we had 1M acres of old-growth in PNW federal forests. We were willing to compromise and reserve half. But the public said, ‘We want all of it in reserves; it is irreplaceable’ And they were right. Fundamentally, we know how to manage forests ecologically, as whole systems. The key is having the will and resources to do it.