Chapter 18 Land Resources and Conservation

Vocabulary  Urban- city/high density  Rural- sparsely populated areas

Current Land Use  55% private  3% Native American  35% Federal government (mostly Alaska & 11 western states)  7% State & Local government  Federal land managed by U.S. Dept. of Interior (Bureau of Land Management, Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service) & by Dept. of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service

Land Use Types  Wilderness  National Parks  Wildlife Refuges  Forests  Rangelands  Wetlands  Agricultural lands  Suburbia/Urban lands

Wilderness –Land not greatly disturbed by human activities & where humans visit but do not live

Wilderness (cont)  Government to set aside wilderness lands as part of National Wilderness Act of authorized U.S. Preservation Systems –42% of wilderness areas are in National parks –33% of wilderness areas are in National forests –22% of wilderness areas are in Wildlife refuges  Given the highest protection of any federal lands –50% are in Alaska & western states

Wild & Scenic Rivers Act of 1968  Protect rivers w/ outstanding beauty, recreational value, unique geological features, important habitat or species & historic value. –50% are in Alaska & Pacific NW w/ < 1% of nation’s total river systems –No development on shoreline –Mining claims are allowed

National Parks –Large scenic areas & cultural & historic sites  Sites/Lands purchased with money from Land & Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965  Primary role of National Park Service is to teach people about natural environment, management of natural resources & history  Problems= over crowding & resource violations  Natural Regulation- letting nature take its course most of the time.

Wildlife Refuges Land committed to wildlife habitat  Established in 1903 by T. Roosevelt (National Wildlife Refuge System)  508 refuges representing all major ecosystems

Forests  Occupy< 1/3 earth land area  Ecosystem service include –Provide timber –Recreation –Transpiration=> biological cooling –O 2 /CO 2 regulation

Forest Management Options: 1. Tree plantation- monoculture 2. Ecological sustainable forest management- sustain forest diversity & ecosystem services but keep it commercially viable. 3. Selective cutting- cut individual or small strands of trees

Forest Management Options: 4. Shelter wood cutting- removal of all mature trees in an area over a period of time. 5. Seed Tree cutting- almost all trees are harvested leaving a scattering of desirable trees left behind to provide a scattering of trees. 6. Clear cutting- All Trees harvested –Deforestation

Effects of Deforestation:  Soil erosion  Regional/Global climate changes 97% of water absorb from soil is transpired  Erosion and decrease in soil fertility  CO 2 increases

Tropical Rain forests  ~1/2 Tropical Rain forests found in Brazil, Congo, & Indonesia.  Tropical Rain forests are disappearing due to: –Slash & burn agriculture –Commercial logging  Tropical Dry Forests are destroyed for fuel  Boreal Forests- worlds largest biome(11%)  Conservation easement- legal agreement protecting forests property form development for specific # of years.

Rangelands  Grasslands (temperature & tropical) –Provide food for livestock –Preserved for biological habitat –Mined for minerals –Contains mainly grasses, forbs, & shrubs  Grasslands- predominately grasses w/ fibrous root system w/ growth buds below grade –Tends to be overgrazed which can lead to desertification

Rangelands Cont  Rangeland is ~ 30% of total land area w/ ~ 1/3 publicly owned and 2/3 privately owned  BLM manages most rangeland via the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934, Federal Land Policy & Management Act of 1976, & Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978

Wetlands  Transitional lands between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems Ecosystem Services: –Recharge ground water –Reduce damage from flooding –Improve water quality –Provide habitat –Produce many commercial products  > ½ of wetlands have been lost since colonial times

Wetland loss controlled under:  1972 Clean Water Act (good for coastal, poorer for inland wetlands)  1986 Emergency Wetlands Resources Act –Requires FWS to inventory & map wetlands –Development of wetlands allowed only w/ creation of new restored wetland in same amount –Problems w/ definition of wetlands  1985 Food Security Act –Created wetlands reserve program => voluntary program to protect/restore privately owned freshwater wetlands

Wetland loss controlled under:  Federal government owns < 25% of wetlands in lower 48 states –Remaining 75% is privately owned  Coastal wetlands = Saltwater wetlands –Highly productive –Protects coastal lines from erosion –Reduce damage from hurricanes  Protected under similar legislation & rolling easements  Marine sanctuaries (12 in nation) protect off shore areas that act as breeding grounds for marine animals/plants & protect sites of historic values

Agricultural lands  U.S. has > 300 million acres of prime farmland (lands w. soil, growing conditions & available water to produce food, forage, fiber & oilseed crops) Note: not all prime farmland is used to grow crops; 1/3 contains roads, pastures, buildings, etc.  Biggest problem facing agricultural lands is urbanization

Prevention of Urbanization:  1996 Farm Bill- established Farmland Protection Program, a voluntary program that helps farmers keep their land in agriculture by selling their conservation easements to prevent conversion to non- agricultural uses for at least 30 yrs.

Solution to Urbanization  Urban planning such as smart growth –Define urban planning –32% of world’s total land area is agricultural lands (~ 11.6 billion acres) (30% of world’s land is considered uninhabited by humans)