Title: Criterion 1: Conservation of biological diversity

Author: Shifley, Stephen R.; Aguilar, Francisco X.; Song, Nianfu; Stewart, Susan I.; Nowak, David J.; Gormanson, Dale D.; Moser, W. Keith; Wormstead, Sherri; Greenfield, Eric J.

Year: 2012

Publication: In: Shifley, Stephen R.; et al. 2012. Forests of the Northern United States. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-90. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 27-39.

Abstract: Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is the variety of life. It encompasses the variability among living organisms and includes diversity within species, among species, and among ecosystems. High biodiversity enables a forest ecosystem to respond to external influences, absorb and recover from disturbances, and still maintain essential ecosystem processes such as regeneration, nutrient cycling, support of wildlife, and purification of air and water.