Contemporary philosophies on how oak forests and associated resources should be managed range from narrowly preservationist or narrowly utilitarian to more inclusive and integrative multiple-value philosophies. One of the objectives of this book therefore is to present ecological and silvicultural concepts that can be used to address an array of problems defined by various perceptions of how oak forests should be treated. This book is designed as a source of ideas on how to think about oak forests as responsive ecosystems. Armed with that understanding, managers and conservators of oak forests will be better positioned to adapt to changing social values and to simultaneously build and act on co-evolving ecological and silvicultural information.