1. US Federal Land Use

2. A very large percentage (40%) of the US is publicly owned.
much of this is in Alaska and other western states
most of east and midwest are in private hands; forests and other natural ecosystems still function in many areas

3. Compare this to the world as a whole
100,000 protected sites, 11.7% of land area (IUCN)
“protected” areas are often exploited despite having specific conservation objectives
482 areas in 102 countries are designated “biosphere reserves”, which have more restrictions

4. In the US, land given the greatest protection is designated wilderness.
The Wilderness Act (1964); brokered by David Brower, Morris Udall, et. al
106 million acres now protected as wilderness; 4% of US
permanent structures, roads, cars, trucks, mechanized transport is prohibited
no timber harvesting
livestock grazing and mineral development are allowed where it was preexisting

5. areas in any federally owned lands can be designated wilderness by any of the following: Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service
46 million acres are under consideration for wilderness status

6. National Parks (79 million acres) National Wildlife Refuges (94 million acres)
provide somewhat less protection than wilderness
intent is to protect areas of great scenic or ecological significance
protect important wildlife species
provide public access for recreation and other uses
protection and public access often conflict

7. parks are extremely popular; 280 million visits/yr
shuttle vehicles are used in many parks
off-road vehicles (snowmobiles, atvs, etc.) are major players on federal lands; manufacturers and owners of these vehicles fight to retain access

8. National Forests hugely important natural resource (740 million acres)
2/3 are managed for commercial timber harvest
Deforestation is no longer a problem in US
only 5% of old-growth forest is left
second-growth forests have returned where protection exists
more trees in US today than in 1920

9. US Forest Service manages 192 million acres
Bureau of Land Management (106 million acres) has some forested land as well
“multiple use” philosophy predominated: combination of extracting resources (grazing, logging, mining), recreation, protection of watersheds, wildlife
intent was to achieve a balance among these uses

10. multiple use in practice emphasizes extractive uses; is output oriented
private, often favored interests of ranchers, miners, timber industry
govt foresters select tracts of forest that are ready for harvest; they are leased to private companies, which log and sell timber
timber sales reflect economic trends in US; post WWII housing boom led to a dramatic increase of logging on federal lands
Clinton administration reduced harvesting considerably

11. New Forestry late 1980's forest management techniques
more protection for health and diversity in the forest
less emphasis on harvesting
cutting occurs at 350 year intervals, instead of years
wider buffer zones with streams
leaving dead logs and debris in forest
protect broad landscapes across public and private boundaries

13. Forest Service adopted New Forestry management principles in 1990s; ecosystem management became the rule
philosophical shift from maximizing timber profits to long-term stewardship
moratorium on new logging roads; Bush Administration weakened this, allowing governors to ask the Secretary of Agriculture to open lands for road building

14. Fires on Federal Land wildfires are growing in number and intensity
8-10 million acres burn annually
50 million acres are at high risk
fuel loads are high – dead trees and dense understories
drought, fire suppression, and common logging practices contribute to the increase in risk
wildfires are natural disturbances, rather than ecological disasters

16. Salvage logging
Bush Administration favored fuel reduction and salvage logging – thinning fire-prone forests, especially near populated areas; in return loggers get to harvest larger commercially valuable trees in other areas;
restrictions on environmental reviews and judicial oversight accompanied these policies
salvage logging has led to increased fire risk because branches are left behind; 3/4ths of seedlings are killed by logging activities

17. Non-Federal Lands
between , 40 states have passed 800 referenda on state, county and town ballots to protect land for parks and open space; taxes have been raised to accomplish this
in CA, $2 billion was appropriated; ME the Nature Conservancy bought 185,000 acres for $35 million
Private Land Trusts – a non-profit organization that accepts gifts of lands or easements (owner gives up development rights but retains ownership; currently protect 9 million acres
Nature Conservancy et al protect 25 million acres in US, 100 million acres abroad