Criterion 2: Maintenance of productive capacity of forest ecosystems

People rely on forests, directly and indirectly, for a wide range of goods and services. Measures of forest productive capacity are indicators of the ability of forests to sustainably supply goods and services over time. An ongoing emphasis on maintaining productive capacity of forests can help ensure that utilization of forest resources does not impair long term forest productivity, even though the goods and services expected from forests may change over time due to social, economic, or technological trends.