Transcript Land Use - Cloudfront.net

Land Use: Forests,
Rangelands, Parks and
Wilderness
World Land Use
Measuring forest cover
• A 2001 international study
used GIS with satellite data to
put together an accurate
inventory and map of the
world’s forest cover.
• 20% of Earth’s surface
remains covered by closed
forest.
• 88% of this is sparsely
inhabited by people.
• 80% is concentrated in just 15
nations.
From The Science behind the Stories
Timber harvesting
• Most timber harvesting in the U.S. takes place on
private land, especially land owned by timber
companies.
• But much takes place on public land—national forests.
• The U.S. National Forest system was established at the
turn of the last century, and the Forest Service manages
forests for sustainable timber yield, and, increasingly,
recreation and ecosystem health.
Deforestation
• Over 3 centuries, Americans denuded most of
their forests (green).
1620
1920
Even in the green areas mapped above, very few
large virgin trees remained; nearly all forest is
second growth.
Figure 16.9
Federal lands
• U.S. federal agencies own a large amount of land
in the western U.S., allowing resource extraction
on most of it.
National
forests =
green
Figure 16.10
Federal Lands
• 3 Categories
– Multiple Use Lands
– Moderately – Restricted Use Lands
– Restricted Use Lands
• Categories are important
Types of Protected Lands in U.S.
• Multiple-use lands
– National Forest System (NFS)
• 156 Forests & 19 Grasslands
• Management concept
– sustainable yield
• multiple use
– used for logging, mining, grazing, farming, oil, recreation,
hunting and conservation
• Mission of NFS
– Achieve quality land management under sustainable
multiple-use management concept to meet the diverse
needs of people
• Website: USDA Forest Service: www.fs.fed.us
Wayne National Forest
Natural Resource LandsMultiple- Use Lands
– Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
• Grasslands, Prairies, Desersts, Scrub Forests, and
Open space
• mostly in Western US and Alaska
• multiple use
• used for mineral and oil extraction/ grazing
– “secure domestic supply of energy and strategic minerals”
• Website: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en.html
BLM
•
•
•
•
264 million acres of public lands
Agency w/in US Dept. of the Interior
Most land in Western 12 states
Sustains
– Health, diversity and productivity of the public
lands for the use and enjoyment of present and
future generations
Rangelands
• Most ranching
takes place on
federal land
managed by
the Bureau of
Land
Management
(BLM)—
purple in map.
• Grazing fees
are extremely
cheap.
Figure 16.10
Types of Protected Lands
• Moderately Restricted-Use Lands
– National Wildlife Refuges (NWR)
• 1903 – President Theodore Roosevelt begins system
of national wildlife refuges
• 552 National Refuges
• Over 150 Million Acres
• 37 Wetland districts
• Managed by US Fish and Wildlife Service
• 24% designated as wilderness
• protect habitats for
– Lodging, grazing, military, oil, farming, hunting, mineral
extraction are allowed as long as D of I says OK
• Website: http://www.fws.gov/refuges/
NWR
• “To preserve a national network of lands
and waters for the conservation and
management of fish, wildlife, and plant
resources of the US for the benefit of
present and future generations.”
– Exec Order 12996, March 25, 1996
NWR
• Local Example:
– Erie NWR:
• In PA
– Attracts 237 species of bird: Eagle/Osprey
– 47 species of mammals
– 27 species of amphibians and reptiles
• National Example:
– Arctic National Wildlife Refuges (ANWR)
• Nature undisturbed
• Pristine land
• Primary Mandate of ANWR is to protect the wildlife
and habitats of this area for people now and in the
future
• Website: http://arctic.fws.gov/
ANWR
• Brooks Range
• Animals
– Porcupine Caribou herd, packs of wolves,
hardy muskoxen, lone wolverines, flocks of
snow geese, and other wilderness dependent
species
– 160 bird species, 36 mammals, 9 marine
species, 36 types of fish
Undisturbed Ecosystem
• Coastal Lagoons, barrier islands, arctic
tundra, foothills, mountains and boreal
forests provide a range of habitats for the
wildlife
• Fate of range debated at ALSAKA
National Interest Lands Conservation
Act (ANILCA-1980)
– “Production o foil and gas from the arctic national
wildlife refuge is prohibited and no leasing or other
development leading to production of oil and gas
from the refuge shall be undertaken until
authorized by an act of Congress.”
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 country’s historic and
cultural heritage and protect wilderness areas
• Parks:can be used for camping, hiking, fishing and
boating
• Rec areas: also mining and oil
• 49% of National Park system is wilderness
U.S. national parks
• 1872 – Yellowstone National Park becomes the
world’s first national park:
•
“a public park or pleasuring-ground for the
benefit and enjoyment of the people”
• Today, the U.S. national park system includes 388
sites and receives 277 million visits each year.
• It is managed by the National Park Service.
Half Dome, Yosemite
Yosemite Valley
Glacier National
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Me
Rock
Climbing
at
Whipps
Ledges
NPS Restricted Use Lands
• NPS shall promote and regulate the use of
the Federal areas known as national parks,
monuments, and reservations hereinafer
specified, except such as are under the
jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Army, as
provided by law, by such means and
measures as conform to the fundamental
purpose of the said parks, monuments, and
reservations…
NPS
• …which purpose is to conserve the scenery
and the natural historic objects and the wild
life therein and to provide for the enjoyment
of the same in such manner and by such
means as will leave them unimpaired for the
enjoyment of future generations.
– NPS organic act, Aug. 25th 1916
Yellowstone
• Reintroduced wolves into Yellowstone, is
this compatible with the mission of the
park?
Types of Protected Lands
• Restricted-Use lands
– National Wilderness Preservation System
(NPS, USFWS, USFS)
• 1964 – Congress passes Wilderness Act
• 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
Wilderness areas
“To assure that an increasing population…does not
occupy and modify all areas … leaving no lands
designated for preservation and protection in
their natural condition.” —U.S. Congress
Figure 16.18
Locations of Parks, Preserves,
Forests and Refuges
What it boils down to…
• NFS:
– Multiple Use Land
• Lumber, cattle, people, ect
– Dept of Agriculture
• National Park
– Owned by gov’t.
– Preservation for future
• “unimpaired for future generations”
– Most don’t allow hunting unless
– Dept of Interior
More…
• Wilderness Area
– Preservation
– No roads/structures/(most)motorized equ. more
pristine
– Most allow hunting
– Can be within NF, NP and Refuges!
• Wildlife Refuge
– Most don’t allow hunting
– Greater protection from gov’t. than NF
Forest Management
• Most of the world’s forests are managed for
paper and wood production
• Paper production uses short rotation
• Old-growth wood for furniture requires long
rotation
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
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
Tree Harvesting
If you were a trying to cut the trees in a
forest, what strategy would you
employ?





Strategy 1:
Selective Cutting
intermediate-aged or
old trees are cut
maintains unevenaged stand
industry people say
it is not profitable
can be destructive
because many trees
can be killed by
removing a few large
ones
Shelterwood Cutting
mature trees are removed in
2-3 cuts leaving even aged
stand, over 10 -15 years
Done to allow growth of
shade tolerant trees
Hardwood forests need
shade as saplings
natural looking forest that
can be used for recreation
can be a good habitat for
wildlife
Trees left can be wind
damaged not recommended
for trees with shallow roots
Strategy 2:
Strategy 3:
Seed-tree Cutting
harvests most of a stand’s
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
Strategy 4:
Clear-cutting
Like a Hurricane hit land or
natural disaster
Mostly occurs in Pine
forests, which require full
sunlight to grow
all trees are removed at
once
site is artificially re-seeded
requires less money, skill
high return
eliminates recreational and
wildlife use
Done to take unhealthy lot
to healthy
Alaska
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
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
How are fires important in forest
management?
Management for forest fires
• Fire policy has posed a particular challenge for
forest management.
• Fire is a natural
phenomenon that
can renew forests.
• But decades of human
fire suppression allowed
lots of combustible debris
to accumulate in forests.
Figure 16.14
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
Fires
• Cons
– can be destructive to huge plots of land and
animal plant species
– can threaten structures
– can accelerate erosion
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
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
– Sustainable Forestry!! HULU VIDEO
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
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
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 earth’s surface
• 30% of them are forests
• only 20% are protected
Wilderness Areas
Solutions: Biosphere reserves
• Core area - no disturbance
• buffer zone - managed activities
• transition zone - sustainable forestry and
conservation
Why create parks, reserves, and
wildlands?
• Why set aside land and voluntarily refrain from developing and
exploiting its resources?
– •To protect enormous, beautiful, unusual landscape features
(monumentalism)
– •To make use of sites that have little economic value
otherwise
– •For utilitarian benefits—e.g., watershed protected for
drinking supply
– •For recreational use for outdoors activities
– •To preserve biodiversity
Ppt Adapted From
• Jay Withgott: 2005 Pearson Education Inc.,
publishing Benjamin Cummings
• http://www.orange.k12.oh.us/teachers/ohs/j
sangdahl/