World Land Use

Types of Protected Lands Department of the Interior: Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) National Forests (USFS) Geological Survey (USGS) National Wildlife Refuges (USFWS) Example: ANWR National Park Service (NPS) Examples: Yosemite, Yellowstone, etc…

FEDERALLY PROTECTED LANDS

Resource Management Bureau of Land Management: Mining Grazing of Livestock Drilling: Natural gas, Oil, Water BLM charges Ranchers & Companies a fee for the use of the land and access to mining rights. TAYLOR ACT 1934– Grazing on public lands

Forest Management US Forest Service: Most of the worlds forests are managed for: Wood Production: Furniture/Construction uses Longer Growth Rotations Paper Production – Short Growth Rotation OLD GROWTH FORESTS: Almost All Gone approx. 15% left in northern hemisphere Important to many species. Example; Spotted Owl hI hI Northern Spotted Owl

Forest Fires Controlled Burns: In the past Forest Fires were thought to be bad & were prevented at all costs, now we know better and allow them to occur. Forest Fires: Harmful Effects: Property damage Uncontrolled burning of vast tracts of land Loss of wildlife & habitat destruction Benefits: Healthy ecosystems need periodic burns to maintain the ecological balance! Some seeds will not germinate until they are exposed to fire!

Forest Fires Help Forests By Reducing: Accumulation of combustible materials (layer of leaf litter and debris on forest floor, dead trees, etc.) Increase in understory growth (grasses, shrubs, brush, ladder trees) Larger trees develop Even-aged stands develop Tree density increases Fire-intolerant species increase in number in the understory Fire-tolerant species that need fire to germinate seeds decrease in population o/2011/10/01/science/ /the-forest-for-the- trees.html?ref=earth

Increased Fire Risk Comes From: Adds to fuel load [intensity] Increased leaf litter [Humus] Increased density of large trees Increased size of trees Increase in brush & small trees Species composition change Adds to spreading of fire [extent] O Horizon A Horizon B Horizon C Horizon R Horizon

Healthy Forests Initiative The primary goal of these projects is to reduce the fire danger and return our forests and rangelands to a healthier state.

HFI: Healthy Forests Initiative Increased removal of medium & large trees/small tree brush will: 1. lead to economic growth in the lumber industry 2. reduce available habitat for other organisms in the forest biome 3. allow timber companies to cut in areas remote from forest communities not threatened by forest fires 4. cause a reduction in biodiversity example: reduction in nest sites, decrease in seed trees, etc. 5. increase soil erosion 6. reduce public input 7. result in a change in aesthetics 8. allow understory to develop into larger trees, potentially enhancing forest habitat 9. make additional timber available for use 10. result in thinned trees resistant to pests & disease/impede spread of diseases & pests 11.

Important Services of Forests 1. Forests provide: oxygen (via photosynthesis). food products for human consumption (deer, nuts, fungi). habitat for many species, some of which provide food and goods for humans, some of which cause harm. wood (e.g., construction material, paper) Increase in the short-term availability of wood, but potential long-term loss of availability w/out management! fuel. products, such as glue, rubber, and medicines, are produced with forest products. 2. Carbon that is removed from the atmosphere by trees helps to limit the magnitude of the atmospheric greenhouse effect. 3. Forests influence the local microclimate affecting humans (change in temperature, shade, UV, wind breaks). 4. Forests have aesthetic value (hiking, camping, photography, tourism, etc.). ALDO LEOPOLD – Land Use Ethic! 5. Forests maintain watershed integrity (e.g., flood control).

Tree Harvesting/Logging Logging Techniques: vary depending on the type of forest, species of trees present, type of product being made from the harvest & the biome that exists in the area.

Logging Techniques Selective Cutting: designed to maintain an uneven or all-aged forest of trees varying not only in age, but in size and species as well. Shelter-wood Cutting: use older, mature trees in a stand as a protective cover over a developing even-aged stand of new trees. Seed Tree Cutting: removing most trees from a stand and leaving only a few trees behind to produce seed for regeneration of an even-aged forest. Strip Cutting: cutting portions (strips) in succession

Clear Cutting Clear Cutting: the felling & removal of all trees from a given tract of forest. One forestry expert refers to the practice as "an ecological trauma that has no precedent in nature except for a major volcanic eruption."

Can destroy an area's ecological integrity in a number of ways: 1. The destruction of: buffer zones which reduce the severity of flooding by absorbing & holding water; aesthetic values & recreational opportunities. 2. The removal of: forest canopy, destroying the habitat for many rainforest-dependent insects & bacteria; forest carbon sinks, leading to global warming underground worms, fungi & bacteria that condition soil & protect plants growing in it from disease; 3. Loss of: fish & wildlife species economic opportunities, (fruit-picking, sap extraction, & rubber tapping); oxygen, habitat (biodiversity) Impacts of Clear-Cutting

4. Change in: the microclimate available browsing places & sighting of animals due to species composition change, increasing their availability for humans (e.g., deer) 5. Decreases in: natural beauty watershed integrity 6. Increases in: erosion & runoff; decreases in groundwater recharge, changing water quality the short-term availability of wood, but potential long-term loss of availability the short-term availability of these products, but potential long- term loss of availability