Development and testing of a criteria and indicators system for sustainable forest management at the local level. Case study at the Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve Ltd., Canada

The concept of criteria and indicators (C&I) for sustainable forest management (SFM) requires further development and testing at the local level. Suitable case studies of applying advanced local level C&I are lacking.; The study was based on the hypothetical suitability of C&I for defining, measuring, assessing and monitoring sustainability. The research objectives were to develop a C&I system, which consists of an optimal and minimum generic C&I set for the local level, which has applicability for the SFM of temperate forests internationally, and can be utilized as an adaptive management system.; This case study took place at the Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve Ltd. in Ontario, Canada. The selected forest of approximately 24,000 hectares is highly suitable because of its multiple use and nature-oriented forest management system.; The methods applied for the development and testing of the C&I system included: the development of the optimal and minimum generic set of C&I for SFM at the level; the identification of verifiers and norms; the testing of the generic C&I set as a case study; the development of indicator measurement databases including a geographic information system; the assessment of the state of the forest and its management; and the application of adaptive management procedures.; The generic C&I set consists of four principles, 16 criteria and 58 indicators. The C&I system consists of a sequence of generic modules which can be applied internationally in temperate forests while specifying and addressing local conditions. These modules are: the formulation of goals and objectives; the identification of local forest management standards; the application of the generic C&I set; the assessment of C&I performance; and the application of adaptive management procedures.; The Haliburton Forest shows a very good sustainability assessment result with a sustainability assessment score of 89.9%. 41 indicators out of 58 show a positive, the remaining 17 indicators a neutral sustainability trend.; The C&I system for SFM at the local level is suitable for defining, measuring, assessing and monitoring the sustainability of forest management. This study contributes to the definition, promotion, implementation and evaluation of SFM at the local level internationally.