Lending Nature a Hand – After Taking Both Its Feet...

Active management is our way of setting things right with nature

For the last few years, I’ve been digging into the science and philosophy behind “managing” our forests and wildlands. The restoration of some of the world’s most ecologically sensitive areas is more than just a science—it’s an art. But it raises a fundamental question: Why should we “manage” what is meant to be “wild” in the first place?

Well, for starters, we’ve messed up. And not just a little. We’ve made some choices that, over time, have reshaped the natural world. Take, for instance, the forced removal of Native Americans—people who were deeply in tune with the rhythms of the land. Their wisdom on how to manage habitats for ecological health was integral to the balance of the landscape, but with their removal came a loss of that knowledge and connection.

Then, along came the Industrial Revolution, which kicked off a wave of deforestation and over-extraction. Conservation emerged from this chaos, not as a pure expression of environmental love, but as a necessary response to the rapid depletion of our resources. The idea was to protect what was left to ensure that America could continue to grow, to dominate the global market.

By the time conservation laws were passed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they were a reaction to decades of unchecked exploitation. Whether it was the plume trade, which drove species to extinction, or the overhunting of deer and bison, it took massive degradation for us to realize we needed a course correction. But we did course correct, and in that effort, conservation took root.

But here’s the thing: correcting the damage done to our land isn’t a quick fix. It takes time—more time than most of us realize. The ecosystems we once took for granted have been disrupted by industrial exploitation, leaving behind a patchwork of imbalances. Forests, once healthy and self-sustaining, became overharvested, leaving soil depleted and wildlife habitats fragmented. These disruptions require careful, thoughtful management to restore them to their full ecological potential.

And so, that brings us to where we are today. It’s easy to become disillusioned with the idea of “management” when you see it as an imposition on nature. But as I’ve learned, it’s actually one of the most crucial tools we have for restoring balance. The land doesn’t fix itself after centuries of exploitation. We, as stewards, have a role to play in its recovery, and that responsibility isn’t one we can ignore.

My own philosophy of conservation has evolved as I’ve studied not just the science, but the history of our lands and the people who once lived in harmony with them. To manage the land well, we need to reconnect with the environment—not in a way that controls it, but in a way that nurtures it, guides it, and partners with it. Nature offers us so much—clean air, water, fertile soil, and biodiversity—but it’s up to us to ensure we’re giving back, too.

The work we do today, in managing and restoring our landscapes, is as important as it has ever been. It’s not about domination or overuse; it’s about a balanced partnership. We need to guide the land back to health, just as it once guided us. Our future depends on it—and on learning how to live with the land, not just take from it.