Chapter 10 Land, Public and Private

Who Owns a Tree? Julia Butterfly Hill vs. Maxxam Pacific Lumber Company – leader in environmental stewardship Selective cutting vs. clear cutting 1986 – Pacific Lumber bought and renamed Maxxam Drastic changes made Tree Sit (1997- 1999) – Julia Butterfly Hill Organized by Earth First! Organization Outcome? Tree sit caused: Brought attention to the unsustainable practices Maxxam filed for bankruptcy in Jan. 2007 Important questions Do citizens of the US have the right to influence what activities occur on private or public lands? Do you think Julia Hill was a hero or a villain?

Human land use affects the environment in many ways Using land benefits humans Negative consequences… People do not always agree on land use and management priorities 3 concepts essential for understanding land use: Tragedy of the commons Externalities Maximum sustainable yield

The Tragedy of the Commons In history – land viewed as common resource Problem… In 1968 – Garrett Hardin described the “tragedy of the commons” Tragedy of the commons- the tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted because people act from self-interest for short-term gain Applies to any publicly available resource that is not regulated

Tragedy of the Commons

Externalities Externalities- a cost or benefit of a good or service that is not included in the purchase price of the product or service Positive externality Negative externality Concern about negative externalities… How do we fix this? (prevent ToC) Private ownership Regulation by local or federal government

Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) Def: maximum amount of a renewable resource that can be harvested without compromising the future availability of that resource Varies case by case Difficult to calculate MSY with certainty

International Categories of Public Lands National Parks- managed for scientific, educational, and recreational use, and sometimes for their beauty or unique landforms Managed Resource Protected Areas- managed for the sustained use of biological, mineral, and recreational resources. Habitat/Species Management Areas- actively managed to maintain biological communities Strict Nature Reserves and Wilderness Areas- established to protect species and ecosystems Protected Landscapes and Seascapes- nondestructive use of natural resources while allowing for tourism and recreation National Monuments- set aside to protect unique sites of special natural or cultural interests

Public Lands in U.S.

Public Land Classification Resource conservation ethic – people should maximize resource use based on the greatest good for everyone Many uses for land Problem More than 95% of federal land is managed by: Bureau of Land Management US Forest Services National Park Service Fish and Wildlife Service

Rangelands Dry, open grasslands that are primarily used for cattle grazing Overuse of rangelands  leads to loss of biodiversity, soil degradation, wind erosion Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 Permit system Critics BLM – focuses on mitigating damage caused by grazing Problem

Forests Areas dominated by trees and other woody vegetation More money spent managing the timber program and building/maintaining roads than receives from royalties Logging roads built Problems

Timber Harvest Practices Clear-cutting Selective Cutting Removing all, or almost all the trees in an area Easiest and usually most economical Regrowth – must plant trees or reseed area Resulting trees will be the same age Sunlight issue… Usually monoculutre Problems: Removing single trees or relatively small numbers of trees from a forest More expensive Regrowth – logging creates many small openings Trees will be at various ages Optimum growth…

Timber Harvest Practices Clear-cutting vs. Selective Cutting

Timber Harvest Practices Ecologically sustainable forestry – goal is to maintain all species (plants/animals) in as close to natural state as possible Uses animals (ie horses)  to reduce impact and cost of machinery use Expensive though

Logging, Deforestation, and Reforestation ~30% of commercial timber in world produced in US and Canada Logging problems: Disrupts habitat Replaces complex forest ecosystems with tree plantations Biodiversity protection regulations not specific Critics vs. USFS

Fire Management Fires – release nutrients in dead biomass back into soil How do we deal with the fact that fires are important? Prescribed burns Natural burns Yellowstone

National Parks Established to preserve scenic views and unusual landforms NPS manages 391 national parks and other areas Goals of National Park Management Based on multi-use principal Primary purpose of NPS … Concern Each park is treated individually in needs/policies Human Activities Primary challenge of NP

National Wildlife Refuges/Wilderness Areas Wildlife refuges - managed for the purpose of protecting wildlife Managed by FWS Wilderness areas – preserves large tracts of intact ecosystems or landscapes Created from public lands Allow limited human use Previous uses

Federal Regulations National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)- mandates an environmental assessment of all projects involving federal money or permits Process to go through: Environmental impact statement (EIS) Environmental mitigation plan Public gives input to environmental assessment

Residential Land Suburban- areas surrounding metropolitan centers with low population densities Exurban- similar to suburban areas, but are not connected to any central city or densely populated area

Urban Sprawl Urban sprawl- the creation of urbanized areas that spread into rural areas Removes clear boundaries between urban and rural areas Characterized by… Between 1992 – 1997 US farmland being converted to residential uses at rate of 1.2 million acres per year Concerns: Dependence on automobiles Each family has more land

Causes of Urban Sprawl in U.S. Automobiles and highway construction Living costs Urban blight – the degradation of the built and social environments of the city that often accompanies and accelerates migration to the suburbs Government policies – influence urban sprawl Highway Trust Fund – pays for construction and maintenance of roads/highways Zoning – a planning tool to separate industry and business from residential Federal Housing Administration – established during Great Depression

Smart Growth Smart Growth – focuses on strategies that encourage the development of sustainable, health communities: Mixed land uses Create a range of housing opportunities and choices Create walkable neighborhoods Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions Take advantage of compact building design Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty and critical environmental areas Provide a variety of transportation choices Strengthen and direct development toward existing communities Make development decisions predictable, fair and cost-effective