The role of microbial indicators of soil quality in ecological forest management

Ecological management is gaining acceptance as an encompassing philosophy in forest resource management. In keeping with this new paradigm, the Canadian Standards Association is creating a forest certification process to ensure that forest products are generated through sustainable forestry. However, a great deal of research is needed to develop and assess soil indicators of ecological sustainability. This paper discusses the role and usefulness of microbial indicators of soil quality in the ecological management of forests and the forest certification process. Suitable microbial indicators of soil conservation should be closely linked to critical ecological processes, should be documented properly across various ecosystem types, should be easy to use, and must evolve with new scientific knowledge. Key words: ecological management, soil quality, criteria and indicators, Canadian Standards Association, soil microorganisms, fire