Beschreibung:
<jats:p> Conservation of spotted owl habitat in western North America illustrates the difficult decisions that must be taken and the conflicts that can arise in land-use planning. In eastern North America, spotted owls are absent but marten, an animal species which prefers old-growth forest, has become rare in some areas as a result of habitat loss. The marten is a threatened species in Newfoundland, exists in small numbers in Nova Scotia, and has been extirpated in Prince Edward Island. Lack of long-term integrated forest resource planning, short rotations, and silvicultural practices that produce sub-optimal habitat may eliminate the species in Atlantic Canada. Two cases are discussed from Newfoundland and New Brunswick where unbalanced forest age structures suggest a bleak future for the marten. Other larger jurisdictions in Canada should closely examine their forest land management plans in view of the Atlantic experience. </jats:p>