1. Land Use and Agriculture

2. THINK! How Do We Use Land?
Humans use land for many purposes.

3. THINK! What is “Land Cover”?

4. Land Cover and Land Usage
Land cover is what you find on a patch of land, and it often depends on how the land is used.
For example, land cover might be a forest, a field of grain, or a parking lot.

5. Land Cover Scramble
Compare the diagram to the right to the puzzle your group constructed.
Sketch the pie chart with the correct labels in your journal.

6. Land Cover and Land Usage
Rangeland- Used to graze livestock and wildlife.
Forest Land- Used to harvest wood, wildlife, nuts, and other resources.
Cropland- Used to grown plants.
Parks- Used for recreation or preservation.
Urban Land- Used for housing, businesses, industry, and roads.
Other- Land that is difficult for human use like wetlands, mountains, and deserts.

7. THINK! Urban versus Rural

8. Urban Land
Land mainly covered with buildings and roads. Also, typically contains 2,500 or more people and usually has a governing body, such as a
city council

9. Rural Land
Land with relatively few people and large areas of open space. Typically has areas of open land that are used for farming.

10. Ecosystem Services: The Urban-Rural Connection
Ecosystem services – Resources produced by natural and artificial ecosystems, that all people depend upon, regardless of where they live.
THINK!
What are some examples of ecosystem
services?

11. Ecosystem Services: The Urban-Rural Connection
End

12. HOW is land use determined and WHO determines how it is used?

13. Urban Land-Use Planning
Used to determine, in advance, how land will be used.
Involves using GIS technology- a computerized system for storing, manipulating and viewing geographic data.
Federal, state, and local governments require developers to prepare detailed reports on environmental impacts
Developers, federal and state governments, local businesses, and citizens often disagree about land-use plans.

14. The Beauty of GIS
The software allows a use to enter different types of data and create maps, in which layers of information about an area can be viewed

15. GIS Maps

16. Today’s Lab: Land-Use Planning
In groups of TWO
You will plan and create a simulated land-use model of a community
You will evaluate other communities
Must include required elements
Must abide by state laws

17. Urban Land Use

18. THINK! Urban or Rural Living Around the Globe
Consider the following countries:
Africa, Asia, Europe, South America and North America, and Oceania.
Do you think most of the people live in urban or rural areas?

19. Urban versus Rural Living Around the Globe

20. Pre-Industrialization
Until about 1850, most people lived in rural areas.
Farmed
Managed the forests
Worked in local mines or mills.
Manufactured the necessities of life for
the town.

21. Industrialization
The Industrial Revolution changed this pattern. Thousands of rural jobs were eliminated, and many people had to move to cities to find jobs.
As a result, urban areas grew rapidly during the 20th century and spread over more land.

22. THINK! What is Urbanization?

23. Urbanization
An increase in the density of people living in urban areas rather than in rural areas
Why does urbanization occur?

24. Urbanization Why does urbanization occur?
More plentiful jobs
Better paying jobs
Better schools
Recreational areas
To find things they want/need
Urbanization can lead to a “megalopolis”. What do you think this means?

25. Urbanization  Metropolis or Megalopolis
As urban populations have grown, many small towns have grown together and formed large urban areas called metropolitan areas.
What are some examples of metropolitan areas or a megalopois?

26. THINK! What are some problems with rapid urbanization?

27. What are some problems with rapid urbanization?
The urban crisis! Population overwhelms infrastructure- all of the things society builds for public use.
Roads Sewers Railroads Bridges Canals Fire and police stations Schools Hospitals Water mains Power lines

28. Infrastructure Collapse The Urban Crisis!
When more people live in a city than its infrastructure can support, the living conditions deteriorate

29. THINK! The Urban Crisis! How could you identify urban crisis?
What are indicators of urban crisis?
Think about articles you might read about in the newspaper. How might a particular news story indicate urban crisis?
Think & be ready to share your ideas.

30. Urban Crisis in the News!
Indicators of urban crisis include:
Living conditions deteriorate
Increasing crime
Homelessness
Tax increases
Traffic congestion
Urbanization can also lead to urban sprawl.
THINK! What do you think that means?

31. Urban Sprawl & “The Burbs”
Urban sprawl – the rapid spread of a city into the adjoining countryside. Usually caused from building suburbs.
Suburbs – housing and associated commercial buildings on the boundary of a larger town

32. So…What do we know about Urbanization?
Urbanization, the movement of people into cities, can lead to the urban crisis & urban sprawl.
Urbanization can also cause something called “The Heat Island” effect…

33. THINK! The Heat Island Effect
Environmental conditions differ between cities and the countryside. Cities usually have increased temperatures. Why?

34. The Heat Island Effect
Heat Island – an area in which the air temp is generally higher than the temp of surrounding rural areas
Roads and buildings absorb and retain heat longer than vegetation
Increased temps
Increased rainfall

35. Mass Transit In most cities mass transit systems have been constructed
Buses
Trains
What are some advantages of mass transit?

36. Advantages of Mass Transit
Move many people at one time
Save energy
Reduce highway congestions
Reduce air pollution
Limit the loss of land to roadways and parking lots
End

37. Open Space
In many cities, open spaces have been built into urban plans.
Open spaces refer to land within urban areas that is set aside for scenic and recreational enjoyment.
Parks
Public gardens
Bicycle paths
Hiking trails
What environmental benefits do open spaces
provide?

38. Environmental Benefits of Open Space
Absorptions of CO2
Production of O2
Filter pollutants from the air and water
Reduce drainage/flooding problems
Regulate temperatures

39. Self Test: Land Use Vocab
Accounts for higher temps in cities
What you find on a piece of land
Caused when infrastructure is overwhelmed due to overcrowding
Resources all people depend on regardless of where they live
Mostly open land with few people
Migration of people into cities
Spread of a city into adjoining countrysides
Land with many people and buildings
All of the things society builds for public use
Urban
Rural
Urbanization
Urban Sprawl
Urban Crisis
Infrastructure
Ecosystem Services
Land Cover
Heat Island Effect

40. Self Test: Land Use Vocab
Accounts for higher temps in cities
What you find on a piece of land
Caused when infrastructure is overwhelmed due to overcrowding
Resources all people depend on regardless of where they live
Mostly open land with few people
Migration of people into cities
Spread of a city into adjoining countrysides
Land with many people and buildings
All of the things society builds for public use
UrbanH
RuralE
UrbanizationF
Urban SprawlG
Urban CrisisC
InfrastructureI
Ecosystem ServicesD
Land CoverB
Heat Island Effect A

41. Self Test: Urban or Rural?

42. Self Test: Urbanization or Urban Sprawl?

43. Rural Land Use and Conservation

44. Farmlands Land used to grow crops and fruit.
The U.S. contains more than 247 million acres of prime farmland.
National Farmland Protection Program, 1996

45. “Home, Home on the Range”lands
Land that supports different vegetation types like grasslands, shrublands and deserts
Not used for farming or timber production
The most common human use of rangeland is for the grazing of livestock

46. Problems on the Range
Overgrazing – the depletion of vegetation due to the continuous feeding of too many animals
Loss of vegetation = Soil erosion
THINK!
How can this be avoided? .

47. Improving & Maintaining Rangelands
The Public Rangelands Improvement Act; 1978
Improving rangeland that has been degraded by overgrazing often includes methods such as:
Limiting herd size
Planting native vegetation
Fencing areas to let them recover to the state they were in before they were overgrazed
Multiple water holes

48. Forest Land Land used to harvest trees Three categories of forests:
Virgin forests: forests that have never been cut.
Native forests: forests that are planted and managed.
Tree farms: areas where trees are planted in rows and harvested like other crops.

49. Harvesting Trees Two methods for harvesting trees:
Clear-cutting is the process of removing all of the trees from an area of land.
Selective cutting is the process of cutting and removing only middle-aged or mature trees.
THINK!
What might be some advantages and disadvantages of each method?

50. Clear Cutting: Less expensive than selective-cutting, but very destructive with high rates of erosion
Selective Cutting: More expensive than clear-cutting, but much less destructive

51. Deforestation Clearing of trees without replacing them
Why would forests be cleared?
To convert the land into farmland
To make space for roads, homes, factories, and office buildings
What are the environmental impacts of clearing forests?
Reduces wildlife habitat
Increased soil erosion
Increased levels of CO2

52. Reforestation
The re-establishment and development of trees in a forest land where they were lost.
Some governments require reforestation after timber has been harvested.

53. Parks and Preserves
1870’s Congress agreed to protect land in Wyoming and Montana
The first National park, Yellowstone, was created in 1872.
1916 National Park Service was signed into existence.
Now ~50 National
Parks.

54. U.S. Wilderness Act;1964
Wilderness – a region that is not cultivated and that is not inhabited by humans.
Designated certain lands as wilderness areas- areas in which the land and ecosystems it supports is protected.
474 regions covering 32 million acres in the US
Used for hiking , fishing, boating (non motor) and camping. Roads or structures requiring motorized equipment are not allowed.

55. Parks and Preserves
Wilderness areas serve as research labs where people can learn more about the natural world.
These protected areas also provide recreation, such as hiking and camping.
THINK!
What are the benefits of and threats to these areas?

56. Self Test: Rural Land Use Vocab
Rangeland
Farmland or Cropland
Clear-Cutting
Selective-Cutting
Deforestation
Virgin Forests
Reforestation
Wilderness
Overgrazing
Cutting down trees without replacing them
Region that is not cultivated or inhabited by humans
Land used to grow crops
Forests that have never been cut
Removing some trees, while leaving others
Land used for grazing animals
Re-establishment of trees in an area where they were once lost
Loss of vegetation, caused by too much feeding, that can result in soil erosion
Removing all trees in a particular area

57. Self Test: Reforestation or Deforestation?
B. ________________________

58. Self Test: Clear vs. Selective Cutting
B. ________________________