Silviculturists must be able to assess and control levels of growing stock for the specific structural objectives that arise from new social goals. In the central and southern Rockies, few if any forest types particularly lend themselves to classic uneven-aged selection system; instead, stand density index is used to implement a broad range of structural objectives, from even-aged to multi-aged. Using this index to manage stands is relatively simple and therefore constitutes a practical alternative for unconventional multiaged systems.