CH 10 Who Owns a Tree: Julia Butterfly Hill Environmental activist 1997: She spent 738 days in a thousand year old, 180 ft. redwood tree called Luna- SIT IN PROTEST. Protesting Maxxam lumber company’s practice of clear cutting trees in California. Luna was saved. Fed gov’t purchased land from logging company

The Tragedy of the Commons 1968 Garrett Hardin- “tragedy of the commons” a shared, limited resource becomes depleted or degraded as the result of self-interest for short-term gain.

World Land Use

U.S. Public Lands

Land Use in U.S.

Types of Protected Lands in U.S. Multiple-use lands National Forest (U.S. Forest Service) sustainable yield logging, mining, grazing, farming, oil, recreation, hunting and conservation Note: USFS manages RESOURCE USE. National Resource lands (Bureau Land Management- BLM) mostly in west and Alaska used for mineral and oil extraction/ grazing

Management of U.S. Public Land Public Lands Managed by Types of activities permitted National Parks   National Park Service  Recreation and Conservation National Forests  US Forest Service  Timber harvesting, grazing, and recreation National Wildlife Refuges  US Fish and Wildlife services    Conservation, Hunting with permit, and Recreation National Wilderness Areas  BLM, USFS, USFWS, NPS  Conservation, Recreation, and Hunting/Fishing with permit Rangelands  BLM Grazing of livestock National Resource Lands  Mining, Oil and Natural gas extraction, grazing

Teddy Roosevelt Country’s leading environmental president. 1901-1909: Golden Age of Conservation -Started the National Forest Service & involved in creating the National Park Service -150 National Forests -51 Bird reserves -5 National Parks

Important Conservation Dates 1872 Yellowstone National Park established 1891 Forest Reserve Act – protected forest lands (later became National Forests) 1892 Sierra Club founded by John Muir 1912 National Park System established

John Muir and Hetchy Hetch John Muir, founder of Sierra Club, early leader of preservation. Battled to prevent the damming of the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite Nat. Park. Eventually flooded to provide water for San Francisco, Water from the dam now serves 2.4 million people in San Francisco & surrounding areas.

Hetchy Hetch Valley Before After Considered at the time to be one of the most unique and diverse ecosystems in the world. Today movements trying to restore this valley.

Rangelands Rangelands Dry, open grasslands that are primarily used for cattle grazing. Negative impacts: - Degradation of land - Water pollution due to sedimentation from erosion.

Rangelands The Taylor Grazing Act 1934 - Established permits for grazing on public lands. Goal of act was to reduce overgrazing. - Effectiveness- MIXED REVIEWS: low permit cost compared to $$$$$ spent managing land. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Old Growth Forests Temperate forests: Douglas fir, - uncut forests that have not been seriously disturbed for several hundred or thousands of years. Temperate forests: Douglas fir, western hemlock, giant sequoia, and coastal redwoods Provide niches for species 22% of the world’s forests

Second Growth Forests - Stands of trees resulting from secondary succession (clear cutting, farming, fires, hurricane, volcanic eruptions). 63% of the world’s forests

Tree Farms Managed area of uniformly aged trees of one species. Harvested by clear cutting as soon as they are commercially valuable. 5% of world’s forests.

Harvesting Timber Goal should be to remove timber with minimal damage to ecosystem. Building roads (for logging trucks) exposes forests to: 1. soil erosion 2. invasive species 3. habitat fragmentation 4. disease

1. Selective cutting Intermediate or mature trees cut. Reduces crowding & soil erosion. Promotes Growth of younger trees.

2. Clear Cutting Removes all trees. Site is planted with seedlings, leading to even–age stands. Problems- severe erosion. Economically the best.

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

Deforestation Temporary or permanent removal of forest for agricultural purposes or other uses. Research has shown it takes 200 years for new forests to accumulate the same amount of carbon that old growth forests had. Africa and Latin America have the highest rate of deforestation.

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

Managing Forest Fires 1940s-1970s Smoky the Bear SUPPRESS FIRES 1988 Yellowstone forest fire- largest fire in US history.

Fire Management https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aAwpBQHvm4 Prescribed burns- a fire is deliberately set under controlled conditions. Reduces risk of uncontrolled fires and some plant seeds need to be exposed to fires to promote germination.

Federal Regulations National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)- requires all projects involving federal money or permits to create : Environmental impact statement- assess the environmental impact and outline the scope and purpose of the project.

Urban areas & Urban Sprawl Urban area- > 1000 people/sq. mile Urban sprawl- urban areas spreading out into rural areas. The four main concerns of urban sprawl in the U.S. are: 1. automobiles and highway construction 2. living costs 3. urban blight (city revenue shrinks as people move to the suburbs) 4. government policies- how do they address traffic, zoning, etc

Government Policies Highway Trust Fund 1956- a federal gasoline tax to pay for construction and maintenance of roads and highways.

Gov’t Policies Zoning-Divides areas into sections or zones for different purposes. Ex: Prohibiting a landfill in a residential area. Eminent Domain: Gov’t may buy land at fair market value regardless if owner wants to sell

Smart Growth Encourages development of sustainable, healthy Communities. “Walkable” communities, open space…. Strategies- these are in your book mixed land uses- business, residential, parks create a range of housing opportunities and choices encourage community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions

Sustainability & Urban Hope SMART GROWTH USED HERE. Dudley Street Neighborhood Boston, MA From Urban Decay to Urban Renewal. *Formed a LAND TRUST to acquire vacant property in the neighborhood *Mixed use community * Reduction of vacant and “junk” property