Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.

Forest management faces an uncertain future with changing climates and disturbance regimes. Multi-aged forest management systems represent a promising approach for increasing resistance and resilience, thereby limiting major disruptions to timber production and other ecosystem services. Multi-aged stands inherently have greater resistance and resilience to disturbances because of the presence of several age classes and more potential pathways for post-disturbance management and recovery. The preponderance of research also indicates few differences in productivity between multi-aged and even-aged management strategies. These factors combined suggest that increased adoption of multi-aged management systems will lead to a reduction in long-term risks. We advocate a disturbance integration management strategy that encourages managers to emulate disturbance effects with management, anticipate disturbances in planning, integrate the management of residual stand structures into salvage operations and build variable treatment intervals or cutting cycles into management regimes.

Silviculture is a means to meet objectives ranging from timber production to wildlife habitat to naturalness. A common global trend in forestry is development of new silvicultural approaches as alternatives to plantation forestry that bear names that include the words ‘nature’, ‘ecological’ or some other positive expression regarding their intent or effects. Some approaches are attempting to emulate natural processes and others to minimize disturbance effects in an attempt to be more natural. In any case, the effects of climate changes, non-native plants, insects, pathogens and animals, and other anthropogenic effects are creating novel forest ecosystems where the silviculture of the past may not be appropriate. It should be recognized that forestry has always attempted to manage stands to meet objectives in ways that would not be similarly met without management. Rather than acquiescing to pressures to follow a nature-based model based on the past, we need to recognize that our forest ecosystems are changing and the rate of change may accelerate in the future. Natural processes and stand structures are important information about natural systems, but not necessarily for the management of these changing systems. Management of these novel ecosystems to meet societal needs will have to be novel. Rather than striving to be close to a nature that is under constant change, silviculture should strive to be better than nature. ‘Close-to-nature’ is flawed in both its intent to emulate nature and as a means to meet shifting ecological conditions and societal needs.

Ratios of tree height to diameter have been used to predict susceptibility to storm damage for many years. In this study, individual trees damaged by recent snow and wind events in western Montana were sampled in 1997 and 1998 to determine their height:diameter ratios in comparison to nearby undamaged trees. Four species were sampled: ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), western larch (Larix occidentalis), interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca), and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia). Ratios of 80:1 (both measures in equal units) provided a stability threshold for all four species. Trees with higher ratios were more prone to damage than trees with lower ratios. Height:diameter ratios from trees grown in spacing trials were used to examine spacings that avoided development of unstable trees. Wide spacings or early thinnings provide the best means of avoiding major losses to snow and wind damage. The growth and yield model Prognosis was unable to predict height:diameter ratios for developing stands. West. J. Appl. For. 16(2):87–94.

Long-term research plots in multi-aged stands managed with the plenter system were assessed to evaluate sustainability of the plenter system in Central Europe. Plots primarily consisted of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst., silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) or European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and were measured for seven to 16 measurement intervals over 60–91 years. Sustainability was assessed with four types of criteria: stand density, tree species diversity, basal area increment, and stand structure. Comparable even-aged stands were also analysed to compare and evaluate the performance of the measures of sustainability. Measures of species diversity, increment and stand structural diversity generally experienced increasing trends over time in these even-aged stands. Basal area generally increased and trees ha^-1 decreased in multi-aged stands following similar patterns as in even-aged stands. These results suggest that the plenter system is still evolving and is not the model of sustainability often assumed. Many of the measures used have potential as indicators of sustainability in multi-aged stands.

Uneven‐aged silviculture in North America has cycled through periods of popularity and rejection. Justifications for these highly varied practices have included attempts to create ‘naturalness’, efficiencies in harvest treatments and economics, and a desire to follow a European example. There have also been attempts to find stand‐ and forest‐level relationships that provided ‘balance’ as a justification for certain types of uneven‐aged management practices. Practices in old‐growth stands in the Pacific Northwest provide an example of these practices misapplied. The repercussions of this unsuccessful effort apparently affected the acceptance of uneven‐aged forest management in other regions. However, uneven‐aged management in other regions, such as drier‐site western conifers, northern hardwoods, and southern pines, was more successful. Successful uneven‐aged management in the future will require practices that recognize the disturbance and stand dynamics of individual ecosystems and use these to guide management.