George W. BrownWilliam R. BentleyJohn C. Gordon2014-06-022014-06-021982-06Forest Products journal, Vol. 32, No.6http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/2181Development of harvesting systems in the United States has proceeded in relative isolation from long-term strategic planning for forest management and consideration of biological requirements of future timber crops. The time has come to change that approach to one that takes a long-term view of harvesting-system development, integrating economics and biology as variables. This approach, already successful in agriculture, will permit designers, biologists, and managers in forestry to develop a broader range of future options and increase their chances of achieving some semblance of optimality. The long time period between forest-tree crops adds even more urgency to developing solutions now. Institutional models for such integrated, cooperative efforts can be found elsewhere in the world and should be initiated in the United States.enArticle