Chapter 14-Land How We Use Land

Land Use and Land Cover Land purposes: Farming, mining, cities, highways, neighborhoods, and recreation. Land cover- what you find on a patch of land Urban land- Mainly buildings and roads Rural land- Few people and large areas of open space

Where We Live Until 1850- rural areas Industrial Revolution Farmers, forest managers, miners, and mill workers Industrial Revolution Machinery, better transportation Loss of rural jobs Urban areas grew rapidly Urban sprawl Developed countries between 1880 and 1950 Now in developing countries

The Urban-Rural Connection People are dependant on resources produced in rural areas Drinking water Fertile soil Cropland Trees Oxygen Ecosystem Services Resources that are produced by natural and artificial ecosystems

Urban Explosion Research Activity Example cities: Mexico City, Bombay, Sao Paulo, New York, Lagos, Los Angeles, Calcutta, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, London, Beijing, Paris, Capetown, etc. Students will research the major cities around the world for the following: *Global location (continent, country, province, etc.) *population size *City size (land area) *Interesting facts

Chapter 14-Land Urban Land Use

Urbanization The movement of people from rural areas to cities 1960- 70% of U.S. pop. Urban 1980- 75% urban Metropolitan areas- Combined towns and cities

The Urban Crisis Overwhelmed infrastructure Urban Sprawl All the things society builds for public use Living conditions deteriorate Worldwide infrastructure deterioration- the Urban Crisis Ex: Page 359 Fig. 6 Urban Sprawl Rapid expansion of a city into the countryside surrounding a city Suburbs Example: Page 359 Fig. 7

Urbanization Development of Marginal Lands Land that is poorly suited for building Example: Page 360 figure 8 Heat Island- Increased temperature in a city Generate and trap more heat Example: Page 360 Figure 9 ATL. Increased rainfall Moderate by planting trees for shade and installing reflecting rooftops

Urban Planning Land-use planning- Determining in advance how land will be used. Intelligent Design- Use of Geographic Information System (GIS) Computerized system for storing, manipulating and viewing geographic data Example: Page 361 Figure 10

Urban Planning Transportation Open Space Traffic problems Mass transit systems Use buses and trains Save energy Reduce highway congestion Reduce air pollution Limit loss of land Open Space Land within urban areas set aside for scenic and recreational enjoyment Greenbelts: Open areas left in their natural state

Land Management and Conservation Chapter 14-Land Land Management and Conservation

Farmlands Land that is used to grow crops and fruit Threatened by urban development National farmland Protection Program (1996)

Rangelands Lands that support different vegetation types and is not used for farming or timber Most common human use- grazing Problems: Overgrazing Allowing more animals to graze than the land can support Invader plant species All vegetation eaten Erosion

Rangelands Maintaining the Range Public Rangelands Improvement Act (1978) Reverse rangeland deterioration Improve land management practices Kill invasive plants Plant native vegetation Fence areas to recover

Forest Lands Trees harvested for products we use Forests also provide oxygen and remove carbon dioxide Timber harvesting lands: Virgin forest- Never been harvested for timber Native forest- Planted and managed Tree farms- Planted in rows and harvested like crops

Forest Lands Selective cutting Clear-cutting Removing only middle-aged or mature trees More expensive Less destructive Clear-cutting Removing all the trees from an area of land Destroys wildlife habitat Causes soil erosion

Forest Lands Deforestation The clearing of trees from an area without replacing them Reduces wildlife habitat Causes soil erosion Plowing increased erosion Example: Great Depression of the 1930’s Dust Bowl

Forest Lands Reforestation Process by which trees are planted to re-establish trees that have been cut down in a forest land

Parks and Preserves First national park- Yellowstone (1870’s) Today, about 50 national parks United Nations’s Man and the Biosphere Program Biosphere preserves- Include people in management plan

Parks and Preserves Wilderness An area in which the land and the ecosystems it supports are protected from all exploitation U.S. Wilderness Act (1964) designates wilderness areas 32 million acres in U. S. Buildings, roads, structures, and motor vehicles not permitted

Parks and Preserves Threats to Protected Areas Growing and increasingly mobile pop. Litter, air and water pollution Mining and logging Oil and gas drilling Factories, power plants, and urban areas Climate change Benefits of Protected Areas Species are protected from extinction Unspoiled deserts, forests, and prairies Recreation, outdoor classrooms and research labs