Renewable Resource Policy

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Renewable Resource Policy

• Governing principles, plans, and courses of
  action to guide natural resource management...
• In the U.S. policy has changed dramatically since
  the 1800s...
• From disposal of the Public Domain...
• To public battles by opposing interests over the
  right to manage vast areas of forested land

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Early Forest Policy1841 to 1891

• National sovereignty would benefit from
  settlement.
• Government would subsidize expansion and
  improvement through land trade to entrepreneurs.
• Private ownership - without government
  intervention - of natural resources was desired
  by the nation.

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Federal Forest Management Policies 1841 to 1870

• No policy Created areas where the land burnt
  over year after year and no forests came back
  after harvest
• From 1870 on, people protested and dramatic
  changes occurred.
• In 1872, two million acres set aside to create
  Yellowstone National Forest...

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Early Forest Policy1871 to 1891

• Forestry and conservation began to emerge as
  national policy issues.
• In 1876 USDA set up a Division of Forestry. This
  evolved to be the USDA Forest Service.
• In 1891 the Forest Reserve Act was passedand in
  1897 the Organic Act was passed...

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Forest Reserve Act of 1891

• Added forest reserves to existing National Parks
  and Monuments.
• Repealed the Preemptive Act of 1841 (Land
  Giveaways).
• Slowed sales of public lands.
• One year later, President B. Harrison created the
  first Forest Reserves in the nation later
  called our National Forests. He eventually
  placed into reserve 13 million acres of forest.

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Forest Reserve Organic Act

• In 1897 Grover Cleveland proclaimed more than 21
  million acres as forest reserves under the
  Organic Act.
• This Act created a number of reserves in western
  states under the control of the Secretary of
  Agriculture.
• The Act formed the basis of our present National
  Forests and their administration

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Major Features of the Organic Act

• Control over management given to Secretary of
  Agriculture - but not USDA.
• Reserves created for the purposes of producing
  timber and protecting water supplies only.
• Timber could be sold at market value.
• Protection of reserves from fire and trespass.

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Forest Reserves Transferred

• In 1905, management of the forest reserves was
  transferred to the Dept. of Agriculture from the
  Department of the Interior.
• The Bureau of Forestry was charged with
  management - name changed to Forest Service...
• In 1907, the name for these reserves was changed
  from forest reserve to national forest.

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National Forests by 1908

• T. Roosevelt increased them to 100 million acres.
• Ten percent of harvest receipts went to states
  for schools - increased to 25 percent later.
• Forest Experiment Stations created for research.

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Quiz 1
1. A broad arrow mark on a tree marked it as
what in the early 18th century? 2. What two
examples of homesteader land grant laws were
used in class? 3. Live oaks were used
exclusively for what purpose in the late 18th
century? 4. What Act allowed for the sale of
timber off federal lands at market value?
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National Park Service

• Yosemite was the firstYellowstone was nextNo
  money allocated for development or management.
• Encroachment (grazing, farming) controlled by US
  Cavalry, with company commanders acting as park
  superintendents.
• Forest Service wanted to control them, but
  eventually a new agency was created to handle
  these parks - The National Park Service.

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Stephen Mather

• Headed the NPS as first director from 1917 to
  1929.
• Managed 31 parks and monuments across the nation.
• Limited access to artifact hunters.
• Helped create state park systems to
  protect/preserve scenic areas of local or state
  interest.

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Weeks Act of 1911

• Made lands east of Mississippi available for
  designation as national forests.
• Emphasized obtaining cut-over and abandoned lands
  through purchase.

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Forest Policy in the 1920s

• Clark-McNary Act - controlled forest activities
  on public lands - Arguments for control over
  private lands failed.
• More emphasis on purchase of private lands for
  public domain and subsequent reforestation.
• Recreation uses of forested areas expanded - not
  as much as today, though.

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CCC

• Civilian Conservation Corps created in the
  depression years to employee those out-of-work.
  Public works emphasis.
• Part of FDRs New Deal efforts
• CCC workers did work on federal, state, and even
  county projects. Their efforts are illustrated
  all over West Virginia.

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Post-War Era

• Federal Land Policy and Management Act -1976 -
  increased the powers of the BLM.
• Industry worked to sway US forest policy in the
  50s. This effort continues today
• Emphasis of the federal agencies (BLM, USFS) was
  on timber production and harvest.

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Post-War Era

• Recreation potential of national forests improved
  through road development.
• More public concern over multiple use management
  on national forests.
• Wilderness Act of 1964 created wilderness areas
  on 9 million acres of USFS NFs.
• Estimates suggest 120 million acres will be
  classed as wilderness by 2000.

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Multiple Use Management

• Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act of 1960 required
  that management on NFs be for multiple uses
• Recreation, timber, range, watershed, wildlife,
  and fisheries.
• Limited management for timber harvests.
• Hornets nest of diverse interests created
  problems for the USFS...

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Environmental Movement

• Book suggests three, perhaps four, eras of the
  movement.
• First two eras responded to wholesale destruction
  of natural resources and the slow development of
  a public-based natural resource protection system
  (NPS, NFS).
• Third era concerned over perceived threats to
  health and welfare of local and regional
  communities.
• Fourth era emphasizes global issues and
  concerns...

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Environmental Issues

• Rachel Carson - Silent Spring - DDT concerns
• Earth Day - 1970 to present.
• Clearcutting - On public lands
• Toxic waste, erosion, more recreation land, less
  land managed for harvest, etc...

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Resource Management

• Environmental movement affects management of
  resources. How?
• How has public involvement affected forest
  management on national and state forests?
• What do you feel are the long-term effects of the
  environmental movement?

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Laws Back Up Policies...

• National Environmental Policy Act -1969 NEPA
  calls for Environmental Impact Statements (EIS)
  or an Environmental Assessment (EA) to determine
  the effect of management on the environment
• These are significant efforts that require
  substantial time and energy.

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National Forest Management Act - 1976

• Correlated management efforts to the NEPA
  policies.
• Specified guidelines for identifying suitable
  lands for various management activities.
• Specified format and structure of land management
  plans on federal lands.

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Endangered Species Act - 1973

• Far reaching act that affected public and private
  land management.
• First act to dramatically affect private lands -
  How?
• Calls for management of certain lands so that
  endangered species are favored.
• Being modified in Congress as we speak!

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Clean Air Act - 1965

• Called for protection and enhancement of nations
  air.
• Initiated research to further improve this
  resource.
• Provided technical and financial assistance for
  improving conditions.
• Integrated actions with regional and state
  efforts.
• Very dramatic and positive effect on air quality
  since 1965!

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Clean Water Act - 1965

• Sought to minimize non-point source pollution -
  Sedimentation into streams.
• Identified waterways that needed clean-up.
• Emphasized changes in management of timber,
  agriculture, and other activities to reduce
  non-point pollution.

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National Historic Preservation Act - 1966

• Attempts to protect heritage sites, archeological
  sites, buildings, and other structures important
  historically or even pre-historically.
• Historic Register developed.
• Affected resource management - How?
• Employed a lot of archeologists!

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Summary of Natural Resource Policy Issues

• Federal Government plays a major role in defining
  natural resource management and use.
• Federal Agencies often follow the lead of
  Congress or the Federal Administration.
• Environmental policies related to federal and
  state land management have increased
  significantly in the last twenty to thirty years.
• The future may bring more emphasis on what we, as
  citizens, do with our private property