Land Use: Forests, Rangelands, Parks and Wilderness

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Land Use Forests, Rangelands, Parks and
Wilderness
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World Land Use
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Types of Protected Lands in U.S.

• Multiple-use lands
• National Forest (U.S.F.S.)
• sustainable yield
• multiple use
• used for logging, mining, grazing, farming, oil,
  recreation, hunting and conservation
• National Resource lands (BLM)
• mostly in west and Alaska
• multiple use
• used for mineral and oil extraction/ grazing

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Types of Protected Lands

• Moderately Restricted-Use Lands
• National wildlife Refuges (USFWS)
• 508 refuges
• 24 designated as wilderness
• protect habitats
• oil, farming, hunting, mineral extraction are
  allowed as long as D of I says OK

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Types of Protected Lands

• Restricted-Use lands
• National Park System (NPS)
• 54 National Parks and 316 recreation areas,
  battlefields, memorials, etc.
• Preserve and interpret the countrys historic and
  cultural heritage and protect wilderness areas
• Parkscan be used for camping, hiking, fishing
  and boating
• Rec areas also mining and oil
• 49 of National Park system is wilderness

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Types of Protected Lands

• Restricted-Use lands
• National Wilderness Preservation System (NPS,
  USFWS, USFS)
• 474 roadless areas in National Parks, wildlife
  refuges and national forests
• Are preserved untouched for everyone to enjoy
  later
• used for hiking, fishing, camping, non-motorized
  boating, hunting, horseback riding
• roads, grazing, mining, buildings are prohibited

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Locations of Parks, Preserves, Forests and Refuges
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Forest Management

• Most of the worlds forests are managed for paper
  and wood production
• Paper production uses short rotation
• Old-growth wood for furniture requires long
  rotation

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Types of Forest Management

• Even-aged management
• forest is cut down, and regrowth trees are
  maintained at the same size and age
• monoculture
• industrial forestry
• high industrial productivity low biodiversity

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Types of Forest Management

• Uneven-aged management
• variety of tree species are maintained at
  different sizes and ages
• fosters natural regeneration
• high diversity
• long term production of high quality timber
• Strategy decision is based upon return timetable
  of money required

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Tree Harvesting
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If you were a trying to cut the trees in a
forest, what strategy would you employ?

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Strategy 1
Selective Cutting intermediate-aged or old
trees are cut maintains uneven-aged stand
industry people say it is not profitable can be
destructive because many trees can be killed by
removing a few large ones
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Strategy 2
Shelterwood Cutting mature trees are removed
in 2-3 cuts leaving even aged stand natural
looking forest that can be used for recreation
can be a good habitat for wildlife
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Strategy 3
Seed-tree Cutting harvests most of a stands
trees in one cutting leaves a few remaining
trees to re-seed the site after new trees are
established, remaining adults are taken allows
several species good for wildlife and
recreation
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Strategy 4
Clear-cutting all trees are removed at
once site is artificially re-seeded
requires less money, skill high
return eliminates recreational and wildlife use
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Strategy 5
Strip cutting a strip of trees is removed that is
narrow enough to be naturally re-seeded the next
year, a new strip is cut etc. forest is
clear-cut over a decade or so will much less
damage
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Strategy 5
Whole-tree harvesting the entire tree, including
roots are brought to plants and chopped into wood
chips most destructive methods, because it
removes all plants material and most associated
organisms removes nutrients from soil
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How are fires important in forest management?
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Fires

• Pros
• many plant species require fires for seedling
  generation
• destruction of old trees, providing light gaps,
  encourages growth of young trees
• regrowth provides food for herbivores

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Fires

• Cons
• can be destructive to huge plots of land and
  animal plant species
• can threaten structures
• can accelerate erosion

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Fire Policy

• Prevention, Prescribed burns, Suppression
• Historically, all fires have been suppressed
• this caused the build-up of dead plant material
• when fires erupted they were severe
• all pros were killed
• Since 1972 most natural fires have been allowed
  to burn
• natural process of regeneration
• Yellowstone fires is causing people to think
  about reversing the policy

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Threats to forests

• Pathogens and insects
• Air pollution and Climate Change
• Harvesting
• wood
• although per capita wood use is less, population
  is growing faster than decrease
• regulations greatly support logging
• but, forests are generally healthier than they
  have been

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Managing Rangelands

• Definition
• lands that provide foraging material for grazing
  animals
• usually in areas to dry for irrigation
• 42 is used for grazing livestock
• 34 of U.S. land is rangeland
• 84 of mammals species
• 74 of bird species
• Threats
• overgrazing, destruction to riparian habitats
• huge subsidies
• read about coyotes and sheep

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Managing National Parks

• Established in the U.S. in 1912, most in West
• Threats
• not enough money to maintain them
• many are too small to support large species
• increased people visiting parks (500mil by 2010)
• non-native species brought in
• human activities on adjacent lands
• air pollution
• To do
• use all fees for management
• refocus attention on preserving habitat
• read about everglades

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Managing Other Wilderness Areas

• Definition
• areas that are undisturbed by humans activities
• should be at least 1,500 square miles
• so that it is not affected by pollution,
  drilling, forestry and urban development
• 34 of the earths surface
• 30 of them are forests
• only 20 are protected

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Wilderness Areas
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Solutions Biosphere reserves

• Core area - no disturbance
• buffer zone - managed activities
• transition zone - sustainable forestry and
  conservation

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Establishing Reserves