Sample records for national forest land

  1. 43 CFR 3811.2-4 - Lands in national forests.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... Lands Subject to Location and Purchase § 3811.2-4 Lands in national forests. For mining claims in national forests, see § 3811.1. ... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Lands in national forests. 3811.2-4...

  2. 43 CFR 3811.2-4 - Lands in national forests.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... Lands Subject to Location and Purchase § 3811.2-4 Lands in national forests. For mining claims in national forests, see § 3811.1. ... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Lands in national forests. 3811.2-4...

  3. 43 CFR 3811.2-4 - Lands in national forests.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... Lands Subject to Location and Purchase § 3811.2-4 Lands in national forests. For mining claims in national forests, see § 3811.1. ... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Lands in national forests. 3811.2-4...

  4. 43 CFR 3811.2-4 - Lands in national forests.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... Lands Subject to Location and Purchase § 3811.2-4 Lands in national forests. For mining claims in national forests, see § 3811.1. ... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Lands in national forests. 3811.2-4...

  5. 77 FR 50985 - National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land Management...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-23

    ... National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land... implementation of the National Forest System Land Management Rule. The meeting is open to the public. The purpose...

  6. 32 CFR 644.409 - Procedures for Interchange of National Forest Lands.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Procedures for Interchange of National Forest... Interests § 644.409 Procedures for Interchange of National Forest Lands. (a) General. The interchange of national forest lands is accomplished in three steps: first, agreement must be reached between the two...

  7. 78 FR 34034 - National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land Management...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-06

    ... National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land... purpose of the Committee is to provide advice and recommendations on the implementation of the National...

  8. 78 FR 23219 - National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land Management...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-18

    ... National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land... Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the committee is to provide advice and recommendations on...

  9. 76 FR 81911 - National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land Management...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-29

    ... National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule AGENCY: USDA Forest Service. ACTION: Notice of intent... intends to establish the National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land... (FACA), the Committee is being established to provide advice and recommendations on the implementation...

  10. 78 FR 9883 - National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land Management...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-12

    ... National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land... Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the committee is to provide advice and recommendations on the...

  11. 78 FR 68811 - National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land Management...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-11-15

    ... National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land... (FACA) (Pub. L. 92-463). The purpose of the Committee is to provide advice and recommendations on the...

  12. 78 FR 46565 - National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land Management...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-01

    ... National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land... Committee Act (FACA) (Pub. L. 92-463). The purpose of the Committee is to provide advice and recommendations...

  13. 76 FR 37826 - Public Land Order No. 7773; Emergency Withdrawal of Public and National Forest System Lands...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-28

    ...] Public Land Order No. 7773; Emergency Withdrawal of Public and National Forest System Lands, Coconino and... Forest System lands from location and entry under the 1872 Mining Law for a period of 6 months under the... described above aggregate approximately 1,010,776 acres public and National Forest System lands in Coconino...

  14. 78 FR 13316 - National Forest System Land Management Planning Directives

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-27

    ... responsibilities. It should be used in conjunction with the FSH. FSH 1909.12--Land Management Planning Handbook... management planning. Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, section 31.12 (57 FR 43208; September 18, 1992... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service RIN 0596-AD06 National Forest System Land Management...

  15. 77 FR 2563 - Public Land Order No. 7787; Withdrawal of Public and National Forest System Lands in the Grand...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-18

    ... 35138] Public Land Order No. 7787; Withdrawal of Public and National Forest System Lands in the Grand...: This order withdraws approximately 1,006,545 acres of public and National Forest System lands from... National Forest, 800 South 6th Street, Williams, Arizona 86046, (928) 635-8367. Persons who use a...

  16. Harmonizing estimates of forest land area from national-level forest inventory and satellite imagery

    Treesearch

    Bonnie Ruefenacht; Mark D. Nelson; Mark Finco

    2009-01-01

    Estimates of forest land area are derived both from national-level forest inventories and satellite image-based map products. These estimates can differ substantially within subregional extents (e.g., states or provinces) primarily due to differences in definitions of forest land between inventory- and image-based approaches. We present a geospatial modeling approach...

  17. 75 FR 41886 - Public Land Order No. 7744; Withdrawal of National Forest System Land for Inyan Kara Area; WY

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-07-19

    ... National Forest System land other than the mining laws (30 U.S.C. Ch. 2). 3. This withdrawal will expire 20... Order No. 7744; Withdrawal of National Forest System Land for Inyan Kara Area; WY AGENCY: Bureau of Land... Forest System land from location and entry under the United States mining laws for a period of 20 years...

  18. Comparison of U.S. Forest Land AreaEstimates From Forest Inventory and Analysis, National Resources Inventory, and Four Satellite Image-Derived Land Cover Data Sets

    Treesearch

    Mark D. Nelson; Ronald E. McRoberts; Veronica C. Lessard

    2005-01-01

    Our objective was to test one application of remote sensing technology for complementing forest resource assessments by comparing a variety of existing satellite image-derived land cover maps with national inventory-derived estimates of United States forest land area. National Resources Inventory (NRI) 1997 estimates of non-Federal forest land area differed by 7.5...

  19. Summary estimates of forest resources on unreserved lands of the Ketchikan inventory unit, Tongass National Forest, southeast Alaska, 1998.

    Treesearch

    Willem W.S. van Hees

    2001-01-01

    Summary estimates are presented of forest resource area, timber volume, and growth and mortality of timber on unreserved national forest land in the Ketchikan inventory unit of the Tongass National Forest. Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis crews collected inventory data from 1995 to 1998. Productive forest land area (timberland) was...

  20. Summary estimates of forest resources on unreserved lands of the Chatham inventory unit, Tongass National Forest, southeast Alaska, 1998.

    Treesearch

    Willem W.S. van Hees

    2001-01-01

    Summary estimates are presented of forest resource area, timber volume, and growth and mortality of timber on unreserved national forest land in the Chatham inventory unit of the Tongass National Forest. Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis crews collected inventory data from 1995 to 2000. Productive forest land area (timberland) was...

  1. Summary estimates of forest resources on unreserved lands of the Stikine inventory unit, Tongass National Forest, southeast Alaska, 1998.

    Treesearch

    Willem W.S. van Hees

    2001-01-01

    Summary estimates are presented of forest resource area, timber volume, and growth and mortality of timber on unreserved national forest land in the Stikine inventory unit of the Tongass National Forest. Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis, crews collected inventory data from 1995 to 1998. Productive forest land area (timberland) was...

  2. 32 CFR 644.408 - Interchange of national forest and military and civil works lands.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 32 National Defense 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Interchange of national forest and military and... Property and Easement Interests § 644.408 Interchange of national forest and military and civil works lands. 16 U.S.C. 505a, 505b authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to national forest lands...

  3. Timber resource statistics for all forest land, except national forests, in eastern Oregon.

    Treesearch

    Donald R. Gedney; Patricia M. Bassett; Mary A. Mei

    1989-01-01

    This report summarizes a 1987 timber resource inventory of all forest land, except National Forests, in the 17 counties (Baker, Crook, Deschutes, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco, and Wheeler Counties) in eastern Oregon. Detailed tables of forest area, timber volume, growth, mortality, and...

  4. 77 FR 472 - National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land Management...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule; Correction AGENCY: USDA Forest Service. ACTION... for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1 (800) 877-8339 between 8...

  5. 77 FR 44144 - National Forest System Land Management Planning; Correction

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-27

    ... Management Planning; Correction AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Correcting amendments. SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a National Forest System land management planning rule in the... document may be sent to the Director, Ecosystem Management Coordination Staff, USDA Forest Service, 1400...

  6. An alternative incentive structure for wildfire management on national forest land.

    Treesearch

    Geoffrey H. Donovan; Thomas C. Brown

    2005-01-01

    Wildfire suppression expenditures on national forest land have increased over the last 35 years, exceeding US $l billion in 2000 and 2002. These increases in expenditure have been attributed, in part, to a century of aggressive wildfire suppression, resulting in a buildup of fuel on the nation's forests. The efficiency of the current incentive structure faced by...

  7. The Ouachita and Ozark- St. Francis National Forests: A History of the Lands and USDA Forest Service Tenure

    Treesearch

    Stephen Strausberg; Walter A. Hough

    1997-01-01

    A brief history of the Ouachita and Ozark-St. Francis National Forests shows that many factors influenced the land, vegetation, wildlife, and other resources that have beenunder USDA Forest Serviceadministration for almost 90 years. This history indicates that laws, acts, and regulations not only created the national forests in Arkansas and Oklahoma but continue to...

  8. Forest resources of the Umatilla National Forest.

    Treesearch

    Glenn A. Christensen; Paul Dunham; David C. Powell; Bruce. Hiserote

    2007-01-01

    Current resource statistics for the Umatilla National Forest, based on two separate inventories conducted in 1993–96 and in 1997–2002, are presented in this report. Currently on the Umatilla National Forest, 89 percent of the land area is classified as forest land. The predominant forest type is grand fir (26 percent of forested acres) followed by the interior Douglas-...

  9. 78 FR 58555 - Public Land Order No. 7821; Withdrawal of National Forest System Land for Steamboat Rock Picnic...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-24

    ...; Withdrawal of National Forest System Land for Steamboat Rock Picnic Grounds; South Dakota AGENCY: Bureau of... the Steamboat Rock Picnic Grounds within the Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota. DATES... Steamboat Rock Picnic Grounds. Order By virtue of the authority vested in the Secretary of the Interior by...

  10. Candidate old-growth on national forest system administered lands in California since the initiation of national forest management

    Treesearch

    William F. Laudenslayer

    1985-01-01

    The following is a report on the status of Candidate Old-growth (hereafter identified as COG) on National Forest System administered lands in California in the past, a t present, and in the immediate fhture. These r e s u l t s are based on information that may be speculative and contain inconsistencies, and therefore must be treated with caution. COG on these lands...

  11. National forest economic clusters: a new model for assessing national-forest-based natural resources products and services.

    Treesearch

    Thomas D. Rojas

    2007-01-01

    National forest lands encompass numerous rural and urban communities. Some national-forest-based communities lie embedded within national forests, and others reside just outside the official boundaries of national forests. The urban and rural communities within or near national forest lands include a wide variety of historical traditions and cultural values that affect...

  12. Mapping Forest Inventory and Analysis forest land use: timberland, reserved forest land, and other forest land

    Treesearch

    Mark D. Nelson; John Vissage

    2007-01-01

    The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program produces area estimates of forest land use within three subcategories: timberland, reserved forest land, and other forest land. Mapping these subcategories of forest land requires the ability to spatially distinguish productive from unproductive land, and reserved from nonreserved land. FIA field data were spatially...

  13. National forests on the edge: development pressures on America's National Forest system.

    Treesearch

    Eric M. White; Ralph J. Alig

    2007-01-01

    Nationwide, the national forest system covers 192 million acres and contains 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands. These national forest system lands provide a variety of social, cultural, and economic benefits to society. An increasing number of housing units are now located along and near the boundaries of national forests, resulting from desires to reside...

  14. Inventory of oaks on California's national forest lands

    Treesearch

    Thomas Gaman; Kevin Casey

    2002-01-01

    California has 18+ million acres of land owned by the USDA Forest Service. This is almost 20 percent of the area of the state. From 1994-2000 the Region 5 Remote Sensing Lab collected forest, vegetation and fuels inventory data from thousands of permanent monitoring plots established on diverse sites on Forest Service lands throughout the region. The plots are...

  15. Looking back to move forward: collaborative planning to revise the Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests land and resource management plans

    Treesearch

    Michael J. Dockry

    2015-01-01

    The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service (Forest Service) manages 154 national forests and 20 grasslands in 44 states and Puerto Rico. National Forest Land and Resource Management Plans (forest plans) form the basis for land and resource management of national forests in the United States. For more than a decade the Forest Service has been attempting...

  16. Forest resources of Mississippi’s national forests, 2006

    Treesearch

    Sonja N. Oswalt

    2011-01-01

    This bulletin describes forest resource characteristics of Mississippi’s national forests, with emphasis on DeSoto National Forest, following the 2006 survey completed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis program. Mississippi’s national forests comprise > 1 million acres of forest land, or about 7 percent of all forest...

  17. The Multiple Species Inventory and Monitoring Protocol: A Population, Community, and Biodiversity Monitoring Solution for National Forest System Lands

    Treesearch

    P. N. Manley; B. Van Horne

    2006-01-01

    The U.S. Forest Service manages approximately 76 million ha (191 million acres) of National Forest System (NFS) lands. The National Forest Management Act (1976) recognizes the importance of maintaining species and ecosystem diversity on NFS lands as a critical component of our ecological and cultural heritage. Information on the condition of populations and habitats of...

  18. Land grants and the U.S. Forest Service

    Treesearch

    Carol Raish; Alice M. McSweeney

    2008-01-01

    The U.S. Forest Service (Forest Service) has a long, shared history with the land grants of northern New Mexico. During the land grant adjudication process after U.S. conquest, much common land from both Spanish and Mexican land grants was declared public domain, eventually becoming part of the northern and central New Mexico National Forests. These forests were...

  19. Translating National Level Forest Service Goals to Local Level Land Management: Carbon Sequestration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McNulty, S.; Treasure, E.

    2017-12-01

    The USDA Forest Service has many national level policies related to multiple use management. However, translating national policy to stand level forest management can be difficult. As an example of how a national policy can be put into action, we examined three case studies in which a desired future condition is evaluated at the national, region and local scale. We chose to use carbon sequestration as the desired future condition because climate change has become a major area of concern during the last decade. Several studies have determined that the 193 million acres of US national forest land currently sequester 11% to 15% of the total carbon emitted as a nation. This paper provides a framework by which national scale strategies for maintaining or enhancing forest carbon sequestration is translated through regional considerations and local constraints in adaptive management practices. Although this framework used the carbon sequestration as a case study, this framework could be used with other national level priorities such as the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) or the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

  20. Forest resources of the Ashley National Forest

    Treesearch

    Renee A. O' Brien; Ronald P. Tymcio

    1997-01-01

    The 1,372,787 acres in the Ashley National Forest encompass 887,230 acres of forest land, made up of 88 percent (779,348 acres) "timberland" and 12 percent (107,882 acres) "woodland." The other 485,557 acres of the Ashley are nonforest (fig. 1). This report discusses forest land only. In the Ashley, 21 percent of the total area and 17...

  1. Forest resources of the Uinta National Forest

    Treesearch

    Renee A. O' Brien; Dennis Collins

    1997-01-01

    The 883,225 acres in the Uinta National Forest encompass 552,021 acres of forest land, made up of 68 percent (377,651 acres) "timberland" and 32 percent (174,370 acres) "woodland." The other 331,204 acres of the Uinta are nonforest (fig. 1). This report discusses forest land only. In the Uinta, 7 percent of the total area and 4 percent of...

  2. 75 FR 52713 - Nationwide Aerial Application of Fire Retardant on National Forest System Lands

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-27

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Nationwide Aerial Application of Fire Retardant on... statement for the continued nationwide aerial application of fire retardant on National Forest System lands... 26667, Salt Lake City, UT 84126-0667. Comments may also be sent via e- mail to Fire[email protected

  3. National forests on the edge: development pressures on America's national forests and grasslands.

    Treesearch

    Ralph J. Alig; Eric M. White; Sara J. Comas; Mary Carr; Mike Eley; Kelly Elverum; Mike O' Donnell; David M. Theobald; Ken Cordell; Jonathan Haber; Theodore W. Beauvais

    2007-01-01

    Many of America’s national forests and grasslands—collectively called the National Forest System—face increased risks and alterations from escalating housing development on private rural lands along their boundaries. National forests and grasslands provide critical social, ecological, and economic benefits to the American public. This study projects future housing...

  4. Integration of strategic inventory and monitoring programs for the forest lands, wood lands, range lands and agricultural lands of the United States

    Treesearch

    Raymond L. Czaplewski

    1999-01-01

    The United States Department of Agriculture uses the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program to monitor the nation's forests and wood lands, and the National Resources Inventory (NRI) program to monitor the nation's agricultural and range lands. Although their measurement methods and sampling frames are very different, both programs are developing annual...

  5. Forest resources of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest

    Treesearch

    Renee A. O' Brien; Jesse Pope

    1997-01-01

    The 1,215,219 acres in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest encompass 863,906 acres of forest land, made up of 90 percent (776,239 acres) "timberland" and 10 percent (87,667 acres) "woodland." The other 351,313 acres of the Wasatch-Cache are nonforest or water (fig. 1). This report discusses forest land only. In the Wasatch-Cache, 26 percent...

  6. AgRISTARS: Renewable resources inventory. Land information support system implementation plan and schedule. [San Juan National Forest pilot test

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yao, S. S. (Principal Investigator)

    1981-01-01

    The planning and scheduling of the use of remote sensing and computer technology to support the land management planning effort at the national forests level are outlined. The task planning and system capability development were reviewed. A user evaluation is presented along with technological transfer methodology. A land management planning pilot test of the San Juan National Forest is discussed.

  7. Proposed wildland fire amendment to the Coronado National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan

    Treesearch

    Sherry A. Tune; Erin M. Boyle

    2005-01-01

    The Coronado National Forest proposed amending its 1986 Land and Resource Management Plan to conform to the 2001 Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy. This Policy emphasizes fire’s essential role in maintaining natural ecosystems and allows a broader range of management options for wildland fires. Under the current Forest Plan, fires must be suppressed in areas...

  8. Inyo National Forest Land Exchange Act

    THOMAS, 113th Congress

    Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA

    2013-12-20

    Senate - 07/30/2014 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 113-433. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

  9. Forest service contributions to the national land cover database (NLCD): Tree Canopy Cover Production

    Treesearch

    Bonnie Ruefenacht; Robert Benton; Vicky Johnson; Tanushree Biswas; Craig Baker; Mark Finco; Kevin Megown; John Coulston; Ken Winterberger; Mark Riley

    2015-01-01

    A tree canopy cover (TCC) layer is one of three elements in the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2011 suite of nationwide geospatial data layers. In 2010, the USDA Forest Service (USFS) committed to creating the TCC layer as a member of the Multi-Resolution Land Cover (MRLC) consortium. A general methodology for creating the TCC layer was reported at the 2012 FIA...

  10. Coronado National Forest Draft Land and Resource Management Plan: Cochise, Graham, Pima, Pinal, and Santa Cruz Counties, Arizona, and Hidalgo County, New Mexico

    Treesearch

    Terry Austin; Yolynda Begay; Sharon Biedenbender; Rachael Biggs; Erin Boyle; Eli Curiel; Sarah Davis; Sara Dechter; Tami Emmett; Mary Farrell; Richard Gerhart; William Gillespie; Polly Haessig; Ed Holloway; Melissa Jenkins; Larry Jones; Debby Kriegel; Robert Lefevre; Mark Stamer; Mindi Lehew; Ann Lynch; George McKay; Linda Peery; Albert Peralta; Jennifer Ruyle; Jeremy Sautter; Kenna Schoenle; Salek Shafiqullah; Christopher Stetson; Mindi Sue Vogel; Laura White; Craig Wilcox; Judy York

    2013-01-01

    The Coronado National Forest is an administrative component of the National Forest System. It administers 1,783,639 acres of National Forest System lands. National forests across the United States were established to provide natural resource-based goods and services to American citizens, and to protect timber and watershed resources. Management of national forests is...

  11. A national assessment of physical activity on US national forests

    Treesearch

    Jeffrey D. Kline; Randall S. Rosenberger; Eric M. White

    2011-01-01

    In an era of declining timber harvests on federal lands, the US Forest Service has sought to better describe the public benefits associated with the nation's continued investment in managing the national forests. We considered how national forests contribute to public health by providing significant outdoor recreation opportunities. Physical inactivity has become...

  12. Development of 2010 national land cover database for the Nepal.

    PubMed

    Uddin, Kabir; Shrestha, Him Lal; Murthy, M S R; Bajracharya, Birendra; Shrestha, Basanta; Gilani, Hammad; Pradhan, Sudip; Dangol, Bikash

    2015-01-15

    Land cover and its change analysis across the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region is realized as an urgent need to support diverse issues of environmental conservation. This study presents the first and most complete national land cover database of Nepal prepared using public domain Landsat TM data of 2010 and replicable methodology. The study estimated that 39.1% of Nepal is covered by forests and 29.83% by agriculture. Patch and edge forests constituting 23.4% of national forest cover revealed proximate biotic interferences over the forests. Core forests constituted 79.3% of forests of Protected areas where as 63% of area was under core forests in the outside protected area. Physiographic regions wise forest fragmentation analysis revealed specific conservation requirements for productive hill and mid mountain regions. Comparative analysis with Landsat TM based global land cover product showed difference of the order of 30-60% among different land cover classes stressing the need for significant improvements for national level adoption. The online web based land cover validation tool is developed for continual improvement of land cover product. The potential use of the data set for national and regional level sustainable land use planning strategies and meeting several global commitments also highlighted. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. The forest resources of the Ottawa National Forest, 1993.

    Treesearch

    Earl C. Leatherberry; James L. Meunier

    1997-01-01

    The inventory of the forest resources of the Ottawa National Forest reports 967.0 thousand acres of land, of which 908.6 thousand acres are forested. This bulletin presents an analysis of forest resources focusing on change in tree species composition, timber volume, growth, removals, and mortality.

  14. Forest resources of the Hoosier National Forest, 2005

    Treesearch

    Christoper W. Woodall; Judith A. Perez; Thomas R. Thake

    2007-01-01

    The first annual inventory of the Hoosier National Forest reports more than 200,000 forest land acres dominated by oaks, maples, and hickories with annual growth exceeding annual mortality by a factor of seven. When compared to forests in the rest of Indiana, the Hoosier's forests are on average older, have greater biomass per acre, and possess a greater...

  15. Ecological modeling for forest management in the Shawnee National Forest

    Treesearch

    Richard G. Thurau; J.F. Fralish; S. Hupe; B. Fitch; A.D. Carver

    2008-01-01

    Land managers of the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois are challenged to meet the needs of a diverse populace of stakeholders. By classifying National Forest holdings into management units, U.S. Forest Service personnel can spatially allocate resources and services to meet local management objectives. Ecological Classification Systems predict ecological site...

  16. Classification of forest land attributes using multi-source remotely sensed data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pippuri, Inka; Suvanto, Aki; Maltamo, Matti; Korhonen, Kari T.; Pitkänen, Juho; Packalen, Petteri

    2016-02-01

    The aim of the study was to (1) examine the classification of forest land using airborne laser scanning (ALS) data, satellite images and sample plots of the Finnish National Forest Inventory (NFI) as training data and to (2) identify best performing metrics for classifying forest land attributes. Six different schemes of forest land classification were studied: land use/land cover (LU/LC) classification using both national classes and FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations) classes, main type, site type, peat land type and drainage status. Special interest was to test different ALS-based surface metrics in classification of forest land attributes. Field data consisted of 828 NFI plots collected in 2008-2012 in southern Finland and remotely sensed data was from summer 2010. Multinomial logistic regression was used as the classification method. Classification of LU/LC classes were highly accurate (kappa-values 0.90 and 0.91) but also the classification of site type, peat land type and drainage status succeeded moderately well (kappa-values 0.51, 0.69 and 0.52). ALS-based surface metrics were found to be the most important predictor variables in classification of LU/LC class, main type and drainage status. In best classification models of forest site types both spectral metrics from satellite data and point cloud metrics from ALS were used. In turn, in the classification of peat land types ALS point cloud metrics played the most important role. Results indicated that the prediction of site type and forest land category could be incorporated into stand level forest management inventory system in Finland.

  17. Forests of the Black Hills National Forest 2011

    Treesearch

    Brian F. Walters; Christopher W. Woodall; Ronald J. Piva; Mark A. Hatfield; Grant M. Domke; David E. Haugen

    2013-01-01

    This inventory of the Black Hills National Forest (BHNF) covers the years 2007-2011 on the South Dakota portion of the forest and 2005 on the Wyoming portion. It reports more than 1.16 million acres of forest land dominated by ponderosa pine. Forest features reported on include volume, biomass, growth, removals, mortality, carbon, snags, and down woody material, along...

  18. Allegheny National Forest health

    Treesearch

    Susan L. Stout; Christopher A. Nowak; James A. Redding; Robert White; William H. McWilliams; William H. McWilliams

    1995-01-01

    Since 1985 72 percent of the forest land on the Allegheny National Forest has been subject to at least one moderate to severe defoliation from any of three native or three exotic agents. In addition, droughts affected the forest in 1972, 1988 and 1991. As a result, at least 20 percent of the forest shows tree mortality in from 10 to 80 percent of the overstory trees....

  19. Forest resource statistics for the Monongahela National Forest: 2000

    Treesearch

    Richard H. Widmann; Douglas M. Griffith

    2004-01-01

    During 1999-2000, the fifth inventory of West Virginia?s forest resources was conducted by the Forest Inventory and Analysis unit of the USDA Forest Service?s Northeastern Research Station. The survey included a subsample within the Monongahela National Forest (MNF). The results showed that the MNF contains 899,000 acres of forest land, or 7.5 percent of the State?s...

  20. Forest health through silviculture: Proceedings of the 1995 National Silviculture Workshop

    Treesearch

    Lane G. Eskew

    1995-01-01

    Includes 32 papers documenting presentations at the 1995 Forest Service National Silviculture Workshop. The workshop's purpose was to review, discuss, and share silvicultural research information and management experience critical to forest health on National Forest System lands and other Federal and private forest lands. Papers focus on the role of natural...

  1. Linking land-use projections and forest fragmentation analysis.

    Treesearch

    Andrew J. Plantinga; Ralph J. Alig; Henry Eichman; David J. Lewis

    2007-01-01

    An econometric model of private land-use decisions is used to project land use to 2030 for each county in the continental United States. On a national scale, forest area is projected to increase overall between 0.1 and 0.2 percent per year between now and 2030. However, forest area is projected to decrease in a majority of regions, including the key forestry regions of...

  2. Impacts of all terrain vehicles (ATV) on National Forest lands and grasslands [Abstract

    Treesearch

    Randy B. Foltz; Kristina A. Yanosek

    2005-01-01

    The US Forest Service has identified unmanaged all terrain vehicle (ATV) use as a threat to forested lands and grasslands. Some undesirable impacts include severely eroded soils, usercreated unplanned roads, disrupted wetland ecosystems, as well as general habitat destruction and degraded water quality throughout forested lands. More insight on how ATV use affects...

  3. The climate change performance scorecard and carbon estimates for national forest

    Treesearch

    John W. Coulston; Kellen Nelson; Christopher W. Woodall; David Meriwether; Gregory A. Reams

    2012-01-01

    The U.S. Forest Service manages 20 percent of the forest land in the United States. Both the Climate Change Performance Scorecard and the revised National Forest Management Act require the assessment of carbon stocks on these lands. We present circa 2010 estimates of carbon stocks for each national forest and recommendations to improve these estimates.

  4. Shortleaf pine in perspective: outlook for the national forests

    Treesearch

    James R. Crouch

    1986-01-01

    Shortleaf pine occupies more acreage on southern national forests than does any other softwood species but major concentrations on national forest lands occur only in Arkansas, Texas and Missouri. National forests in these states intend to continue to regenerate most shortleaf stands to shortleaf.

  5. 36 CFR 228.15 - Operations within National Forest Wilderness.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ...) The United States mining laws shall extend to each National Forest Wilderness for the period specified...) Holders of unpatented mining claims validly established on any National Forest Wilderness prior to... by the United States mining laws as then applicable to the National Forest land involved. Persons...

  6. 36 CFR 228.15 - Operations within National Forest Wilderness.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ...) The United States mining laws shall extend to each National Forest Wilderness for the period specified...) Holders of unpatented mining claims validly established on any National Forest Wilderness prior to... by the United States mining laws as then applicable to the National Forest land involved. Persons...

  7. 36 CFR 228.15 - Operations within National Forest Wilderness.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ...) The United States mining laws shall extend to each National Forest Wilderness for the period specified...) Holders of unpatented mining claims validly established on any National Forest Wilderness prior to... by the United States mining laws as then applicable to the National Forest land involved. Persons...

  8. Mapping Martinique's forests and other natural lands for land planning and development

    Treesearch

    Remi Teissier du Cros; Claude Vidal

    2009-01-01

    The Regional Council of Martinique has chosen the French national forest inventory to realize Martinique's forest and other natural lands map. The project is divided into the three following steps: (1) nomenclature proposal and study area delineation; (2) mapping of the vegetation based on 2005 airborne orthophotographs, Geographic Information System-based slope...

  9. 77 FR 42695 - Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland; Boulder and Gilpin County...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-20

    ... Heading to read: The project area includes 615 acres of National Forest System (NFS) lands and 435 acres of private lands. The Forest Service only maintains jurisdiction over NFS lands; however, to fulfill...

  10. National land-cover data and national agricultural census estimates of agricultural land use in the northeastern United States

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The landscape of the northeastern United States is diverse and patchy, a complex mixture of forest, agriculture, and developed lands. Many urgent social and environmental issues require spatially-referenced information on land use, a need filled by the National Land-Cover Data (NLCD). The accuracy o...

  11. Predictive Mapping of Forest Attributes on the Fishlake National Forest

    Treesearch

    Tracey S. Frescino; Gretchen G. Moisen

    2005-01-01

    Forest land managers increasingly need maps of forest characteristics to aid in planning and management. A set of 30-m resolution maps was prepared for the Fishlake National Forest by modeling FIA plot variables as nonparametric functions of ancillary digital data. The set includes maps of volume, biomass, growth, stand age, size, crown cover, and various aspen...

  12. Constancy and cover of plants in the Petersburg and Wrangell Districts, Tongass National Forest and associated private and other public lands, southeast Alaska.

    Treesearch

    Bert R. Mead

    2002-01-01

    This study provides a comprehensive and inclusive description and inventory of the vegetation within the Stikine area of southeast Alaska. Private and other public lands were included as well as Tongass National Forest lands contained in the Petersburg and Wrangell Ranger Districts. Previous inventories have concentrated almost exclusively on tree species within forest...

  13. 43 CFR 3823.2 - Mineral locations within National Forest Wilderness.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... MINING LAWS Prospecting, Mineral Locations, and Mineral Patents Within National Forest Wilderness § 3823.2 Mineral locations within National Forest Wilderness. (a) Until midnight, December 31, 1983, the... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Mineral locations within National Forest...

  14. 43 CFR 3823.2 - Mineral locations within National Forest Wilderness.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... MINING LAWS Prospecting, Mineral Locations, and Mineral Patents Within National Forest Wilderness § 3823.2 Mineral locations within National Forest Wilderness. (a) Until midnight, December 31, 1983, the... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Mineral locations within National Forest...

  15. 43 CFR 3823.2 - Mineral locations within National Forest Wilderness.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... MINING LAWS Prospecting, Mineral Locations, and Mineral Patents Within National Forest Wilderness § 3823.2 Mineral locations within National Forest Wilderness. (a) Until midnight, December 31, 1983, the... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Mineral locations within National Forest...

  16. 43 CFR 3823.2 - Mineral locations within National Forest Wilderness.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... MINING LAWS Prospecting, Mineral Locations, and Mineral Patents Within National Forest Wilderness § 3823.2 Mineral locations within National Forest Wilderness. (a) Until midnight, December 31, 1983, the... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Mineral locations within National Forest...

  17. Risk of impaired condition of watersheds containing National Forest lands

    Treesearch

    Thomas C Brown; Pamela Froemke

    2010-01-01

    We assessed the risk of impaired condition of the nearly 3700 5th-level watersheds in the contiguous 48 states containing the national forests and grasslands that make up the U.S. Forest Service's National Forest System (NFS). The assessment was based on readily available, relatively consistent nationwide data sets for a series of indicators representing watershed...

  18. Patterns of forest land owner participation in the West Virginia forest stewardship program

    Treesearch

    B. M. Jennings; D. J. Magill; D. W. Magill; J. Warren

    2003-01-01

    West Virginia is the Nation's third most forested State in terms of percent forest cover with at least 80 percent of its land forested. Despite this wealth of timber, in the late 19th and early 20th century the State was almost completely cut over with 30 billion board feet being harvested between 1870 and 1920. Currently, there are numerous second growth stands...

  19. 43 CFR 3823.3 - Mineral patents within National Forest Wilderness.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... MINING LAWS Prospecting, Mineral Locations, and Mineral Patents Within National Forest Wilderness § 3823.3 Mineral patents within National Forest Wilderness. (a) Each patent issued under the U.S. mining... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Mineral patents within National Forest...

  20. 43 CFR 3823.3 - Mineral patents within National Forest Wilderness.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... MINING LAWS Prospecting, Mineral Locations, and Mineral Patents Within National Forest Wilderness § 3823.3 Mineral patents within National Forest Wilderness. (a) Each patent issued under the U.S. mining... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Mineral patents within National Forest...

  1. 43 CFR 3823.3 - Mineral patents within National Forest Wilderness.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... MINING LAWS Prospecting, Mineral Locations, and Mineral Patents Within National Forest Wilderness § 3823.3 Mineral patents within National Forest Wilderness. (a) Each patent issued under the U.S. mining... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Mineral patents within National Forest...

  2. 43 CFR 3823.3 - Mineral patents within National Forest Wilderness.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... MINING LAWS Prospecting, Mineral Locations, and Mineral Patents Within National Forest Wilderness § 3823.3 Mineral patents within National Forest Wilderness. (a) Each patent issued under the U.S. mining... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Mineral patents within National Forest...

  3. 75 FR 65608 - Flathead National Forest-Swan Lake Ranger District, Montana; Wild Cramer Forest Health and Fuels...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-26

    ... and Fuels Reduction Project to harvest timber, reduce hazardous forest fuels, prescribe burn, and... National Forest System lands before they burn onto private lands; (6) provide forest products to the local... of prescribed ecosystem burning are proposed. Use of existing and construction of temporary and...

  4. International trade, and land use intensification and spatial reorganization explain Costa Rica’s forest transition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jadin, I.; Meyfroidt, P.; Lambin, E. F.

    2016-03-01

    While tropical deforestation remains widespread, some countries experienced a forest transition—a shift from net deforestation to net reforestation. Costa Rica had one of the highest deforestation rates in the 1980s and is now considered as a model of environmental sustainability, despite being a major producer of bananas and pineapples. We tested three land use processes that are thought to facilitate forest transitions. First, forest transitions may be accompanied by land use displacement through international trade of land-based products, which may undermine the global-scale environmental benefits of national forest protection. Second, reforestation is often associated with land use intensification in agriculture and forestry, allowing for land sparing. Third, this intensification may partly result from a geographical redistribution of land use at the sub-national scale to better match land use with land suitability. These hypotheses were verified for Costa Rica’s forest transition. We also tested whether forest increased mainly in regions with a low ecological value and agriculture expanded in regions with a high ecological value. Intensification and land use redistribution accounted for 76% of land spared during the forest transition, with 32% of this spared area corresponding to net reforestation. Decreasing meat exports led to a contraction of pastures, freeing an area equivalent to 80% of the reforested area. The forest transition in Costa Rica was environmentally beneficial at the global scale, with the reforested area over 1989-2013 corresponding to 130% of the land use displaced abroad through imports of agricultural products. However, expansion of export-oriented cropland caused deforestation in the most ecologically valuable regions of Costa Rica. Moreover, wood extraction from forest plantations increased to produce the pallets needed to export fruits. This highlights the importance of a multi-scale analysis when evaluating causes and impacts of

  5. San Juan National Forest Land Management Planning Support System (LMPSS) requirements definition

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Werth, L. F. (Principal Investigator)

    1981-01-01

    The role of remote sensing data as it relates to a three-component land management planning system (geographic information, data base management, and planning model) can be understood only when user requirements are known. Personnel at the San Juan National Forest in southwestern Colorado were interviewed to determine data needs for managing and monitoring timber, rangelands, wildlife, fisheries, soils, water, geology and recreation facilities. While all the information required for land management planning cannot be obtained using remote sensing techniques, valuable information can be provided for the geographic information system. A wide range of sensors such as small and large format cameras, synthetic aperture radar, and LANDSAT data should be utilized. Because of the detail and accuracy required, high altitude color infrared photography should serve as the baseline data base and be supplemented and updated with data from the other sensors.

  6. The National Land Cover Database

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Homer, Collin G.; Fry, Joyce A.; Barnes, Christopher A.

    2012-01-01

    The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) serves as the definitive Landsat-based, 30-meter resolution, land cover database for the Nation. NLCD provides spatial reference and descriptive data for characteristics of the land surface such as thematic class (for example, urban, agriculture, and forest), percent impervious surface, and percent tree canopy cover. NLCD supports a wide variety of Federal, State, local, and nongovernmental applications that seek to assess ecosystem status and health, understand the spatial patterns of biodiversity, predict effects of climate change, and develop land management policy. NLCD products are created by the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) Consortium, a partnership of Federal agencies led by the U.S. Geological Survey. All NLCD data products are available for download at no charge to the public from the MRLC Web site: http://www.mrlc.gov.

  7. Considering Forest and Grassland Carbon in Land Management

    Treesearch

    M. Janowiak; W.J. Connelly; K. Dante-Wood; G.M. Domke; C. Giardina; Z. Kayler; K. Marcinkowski; T. Ontl; C. Rodriguez-Franco; C. Swanston; C.W. Woodall; M. Buford

    2017-01-01

    Forest and grassland ecosystems in the United States play a critical role in the global carbon cycle, and land management activities influence their ability to absorb and sequester carbon. These ecosystems provide a critical regulating function, offsetting about 12 to 19 percent of the Nation's annual greenhouse gas emissions. Forests and grasslands are managed...

  8. Spatial impact assessment of conifer stands in the Hoosier National Forest

    Treesearch

    Richard Thurau; Craig Wayson; Dale Weigel; Jeff Ehman

    2011-01-01

    Forest management decisions on Federal lands must be administered at many spatial and temporal scales. Forest condition, size class, and cover type at the stand level determine how silvicultural practices today will impact management area and overall forest goals in the future. The Hoosier National Forest (HNF) Land Resource Management Plan lists eight goals for...

  9. 75 FR 6168 - Angeles National Forest, California; Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project, Supplemental Draft...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-02-08

    ... project changes affecting National Forest System (NFS) lands. After the public review period for the SDEIS... square miles of NFS lands in the Angeles National Forest between August 26, 2009 and October 16, 2009... assess the impacts of the Station Fire. In addition, project changes affecting NFS lands, which may...

  10. 76 FR 21329 - Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest; Nevada; Environmental Impact Statement for Geothermal Leasing...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-15

    ... Impact Statement for Geothermal Leasing on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest AGENCY: Forest Service... National Forest System (NFS) lands for geothermal leasing availability. The project area includes NFS lands... available for geothermal leasing, and if so, to identify reasonable and necessary conditions to protect...

  11. Analysing land cover and land use change in the Ruma National Park and surroundings in Kenya

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scharsich, Valeska; Ochuodho Otieno, Dennis; Bogner, Christina

    2017-04-01

    The change of land use and land cover (LULC) is often driven by the growth of human population. In the Lambwe valley, Kenya, the most important reason for accelerated settlement in the last decades was the control of the tsetse fly, the biological vector of trypanosomes. Since the huge efforts of tsetse control in the 1970s, the population of the Lambwe valley in Kenya increased rapidly and therefore the cultivated area expanded. This amplified the pressure on the forested areas at higher elevations and the Ruma National Park which occupies one third of the Lambwe valley. Here, we investigate possible effects of this pressure on the land cover in the Lambwe valley and in particular in the Ruma National Park. To answer this question, we analysed the surface reflectance of three Landsat images of Ruma National Park and its surroundings from 1984, 2002 and 2014. To compensate for the lack of ground data we inferred past land use and land cover from recent observations combining Google Earth images and change detection. By supervised classification with Random Forests, we identified four land use and land cover types, namely the forest dominant at the high elevation; dense shrub land; savanna; and sparsely covered soil including bare light soils with little vegetation, fields and settlements. Subsequently, we compared the three classifications and identified LULC changes that occurred between 1984 and 2014. We observed an increase of agricultural area in the western part of the Lambwe valley, where high elevation vegetation was dominant. This goes hand in hand with farming on higher slopes and a decrease of forest. In the National Park itself the savanna increased by about 8% and the proportion of sparsely covered soil decreased by about 10%. This might be due to the fire management in the park and the recovering of burned areas.

  12. Characterizing the forest fragmentation of Canada's national parks.

    PubMed

    Soverel, Nicholas O; Coops, Nicholas C; White, Joanne C; Wulder, Michael A

    2010-05-01

    Characterizing the amount and configuration of forests can provide insights into habitat quality, biodiversity, and land use. The establishment of protected areas can be a mechanism for maintaining large, contiguous areas of forests, and the loss and fragmentation of forest habitat is a potential threat to Canada's national park system. Using the Earth Observation for Sustainable Development of Forests (EOSD) land cover product (EOSD LC 2000), we characterize the circa 2000 forest patterns in 26 of Canada's national parks and compare these to forest patterns in the ecological units surrounding these parks, referred to as the greater park ecosystem (GPE). Five landscape pattern metrics were analyzed: number of forest patches, mean forest patch size (hectare), standard deviation of forest patch size (hectare), mean forest patch perimeter-to-area ratio (meters per hectare), and edge density of forest patches (meters per hectare). An assumption is often made that forests within park boundaries are less fragmented than the surrounding GPE, as indicated by fewer forest patches, a larger mean forest patch size, less variability in forest patch size, a lower perimeter-to-area ratio, and lower forest edge density. Of the 26 national parks we analyzed, 58% had significantly fewer patches, 46% had a significantly larger mean forest patch size (23% were not significantly different), and 46% had a significantly smaller standard deviation of forest patch size (31% were not significantly different), relative to their GPEs. For forest patch perimeter-to-area ratio and forest edge density, equal proportions of parks had values that were significantly larger or smaller than their respective GPEs and no clear trend emerged. In summary, all the national parks we analyzed, with the exception of the Georgian Bay Islands, were found to be significantly different from their corresponding GPE for at least one of the five metrics assessed, and 50% of the 26 parks were significantly

  13. Implications of land-use change on forest carbon stocks in the eastern United States

    Treesearch

    Joshua Puhlick; Christopher Woodall; Aaron Weiskittel

    2017-01-01

    Given the substantial role that forests play in removing CO2 from the atmosphere, there has been a growing need to evaluate the carbon (C) implications of various forest management and land-use decisions. Although assessment of land-use change is central to national-level greenhouse gas monitoring guidelines, it is rarely incorporated into forest...

  14. Insect suppression in Eastern Region national forests: 1930-1980.

    Treesearch

    Richard F. Fowler; Louis F. Wilson; Donna M. Paananen

    1986-01-01

    Reports on insect suppression in 16 Eastern Region national forests over a 50-year period. Identifies 27 target insects attacked, insecticides used, acreages treated, and results obtained by suppression attempts. Notes that only 3.4% of Eastern national forest land has been chemically treated during the years studied.

  15. Chapter 13 Application of landscape and habitat suitability models to conservation: the Hoosier National Forest land-management plan

    Treesearch

    Chadwick D. Rittenhouse; Stephen R. Shifley; William D. Dijak; Zhaofei Fan; Frank R., III Thompson; Joshua J. Millspaugh; Judith A. Perez; Cynthia M. Sandeno

    2011-01-01

    We demonstrate an approach to integrated land-management planning and quantify differences in vegetation and avian habitat conditions among 5 management alternatives as part of the Hoosier National Forest planning process. The alternatives differed in terms of the type, extent, magnitude, frequency, and location of management activities. We modeled ecological processes...

  16. Toward a National Early Warning System for Forest Disturbances Using Remotely Sensed Land-Surface Phenology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hargrove, W. W.; Spruce, J.

    2010-12-01

    A prototype National Early Warning System (EWS) for Forest Disturbances was established in 2010 by producing national maps showing potential forest disturbance across the conterminous United States at 231m resolution every 8 days. Each map is based on Land-Surface Phenology (LSP), calculated using temporally smoothed MODIS MOD13 imagery obtained over the preceding 24-day analysis window. Potential disturbance maps are generated by comparing a spatially and temporally specific historical expectation of normal NDVI "greenness" with NDVI "greenness" from a series of current satellite views. Three different disturbance products are produced using differing lengths of historical baseline periods to calculate the expected normal greenness. The short-term baseline products show only disturbances newer than one year ago, while the intermediate baseline products show disturbances since the prior three years, and the long-term baseline products show all disturbances over the MODIS historical period. A Forest Change Assessment Viewer website, http://ews.forestthreats.org/NPDE/NPDE.html, showcases the three most recent national disturbance maps in full spatial context. Although 2010 was a wet el Nino year without major forest problems, disturbances in 2010 in MI, NY, CO and LA will be highlighted. Forest disturbances caused by wildfire, hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, ice storms, and defoliating insects, including fall cankerworms, forest tent caterpillars, gypsy moths, baldcypress leafrollers and winter moths were successfully detected during the 2009 and 2010 field seasons. The EWS was used in 2010 to detect and alert Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) Aerial Disturbance Survey personnel to an otherwise-unknown outbreak of forest tent caterpillar and baldcypress leafroller in the Atchafalaya and Pearl River regions of southern Louisiana. A local FHM Program Coordinator verified these EWS-detected outbreaks. Many defoliator-induced disturbances were ephemeral, and were followed by

  17. Field sampling and data analysis methods for development of ecological land classifications: an application on the Manistee National Forest.

    Treesearch

    George E. Host; Carl W. Ramm; Eunice A. Padley; Kurt S. Pregitzer; James B. Hart; David T. Cleland

    1992-01-01

    Presents technical documentation for development of an Ecological Classification System for the Manistee National Forest in northwest Lower Michigan, and suggests procedures applicable to other ecological land classification projects. Includes discussion of sampling design, field data collection, data summarization and analyses, development of classification units,...

  18. Several problems in regard to national land management

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dong Wenlang

    1983-09-21

    This article examines several problems with regard to land management in China. National land management is defined as development of the territorial land (including the earth's surface and underground), territorial waters and territorial air space under the jurisdiction of a sovereign country. The Chinese State Council established the Bureau of National Land Management in 1981. Areas of concern include natural resources, or land resources (including continental land, rivers and lakes, territorial waters and what is beneath the waters and the airspace above the waters, also the continental shelves), mineral resources and biological resources; social resources, which include human resources, intellectualmore » resources, social and cultural traditions, and the material and technical foundations of a society. Untapped resources of land, waters, forests, grasslands and minerals are to be developed through reclamation, mining, and engineering projects. Geography and national land economics are the theoretical and applied sciences directly related to national land management.« less

  19. Espanola/Canjilon Pilot Study: Economic, social, and cultural aspects of public land grazing on the Santa Fe and Carson National Forests

    Treesearch

    Carol Raish

    1999-01-01

    Many of the livestock grazing permittees on the Carson and Santa Fe National Forests in northern New Mexico are descendants of Hispanic settlers who have farmed and ranched in the region for 400 years. Much of the permitted land was formerly owned or used by local communities under Spanish and Mexican land grants. Cultural differences and historical issues of...

  20. U.S. National forests adapt to climate change through science-management partnerships

    Treesearch

    Jeremy S. Littell; David L. Peterson; Constance I. Millar; Kathy A. O' Halloran

    2011-01-01

    Developing appropriate management options for adapting to climate change is a new challenge for land managers, and integration of climate change concepts into operational management and planning on United States national forests is just starting. We established science-management partnerships on the Olympic National Forest (Washington) and Tahoe National Forest (...

  1. Environmental accounting of natural capital and ecosystem services for the US National Forest System

    Treesearch

    Elliot T. Campbell; Mark T. Brown; NO-VALUE

    2012-01-01

    The National Forests of the United States encompass 192.7 million acres (78 million hectares) of land, which is nearly five percent of the total land area of the nation. These lands are managed by the US Forest Service (USFS) for multiple uses, including extraction of timber, production of fossil fuels and minerals, public recreation, and the preservation of...

  2. USE OF ROAD MAPS IN NATIONAL ASSESSMENTS OF FOREST FRAGMENTATION IN THE UNITED STATES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Including road-mediated forest fragmentation is a contentious issue in United States national assessments. We compared fragmentation as calculated from national land-cover maps alone, and from land-cover maps in combination with road maps. The increment of forest edge from roads ...

  3. Comparing Forest/Nonforest Classifications of Landsat TM Imagery for Stratifying FIA Estimates of Forest Land Area

    Treesearch

    Mark D. Nelson; Ronald E. McRoberts; Greg C. Liknes; Geoffrey R. Holden

    2005-01-01

    Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) satellite imagery and Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plot data were used to construct forest/nonforest maps of Mapping Zone 41, National Land Cover Dataset 2000 (NLCD 2000). Stratification approaches resulting from Maximum Likelihood, Fuzzy Convolution, Logistic Regression, and k-Nearest Neighbors classification/prediction methods were...

  4. Characterizing Virginia's Private Forest Owners and Their Forest Lands

    Treesearch

    Thomas W. Birch; Sandra S. Hodge; Michael T. Thompson

    1998-01-01

    A recently completed forest inventory and two woodland owner surveys have given us insight about the owners of private forest lands in Virginia. There is increasing parcelization of forested lands and an increase in the number of nonindustrial private (NIPF) landowners in Virginia. More than half of the private owners have harvested timber from their holdings at some...

  5. Characterizing Virginia's private forest owners and their forest lands.

    Treesearch

    Thomas W. Birch; Sandra S. Hodge; Michael T. Thompson

    1998-01-01

    A recently completed forest inventory and two woodland owner surveys have given us insight about the owners of private forest lands in Virginia. There is increasing parcelization of forested lands and an increase in the number of nonindustrial private (NIPF) landowners in Virginia. More than half of the private owners have harvested timber from their holdings at some...

  6. Spending patterns of outdoor recreation visitors to national forests

    Treesearch

    Eric M. White

    2017-01-01

    The economic linkages between national forests and surrounding areas are one of the important ways public lands contribute to the well-being of private individuals and communities. One way national forests contribute to the economies of surrounding communities is by attracting recreation visitors who, as part of their trip, spend money in communities on the peripheries...

  7. Group opening outcomes, sustainable forest management, and the Menominee Nation lands

    Treesearch

    Christel C. Kern; Manfred Schoelch; Paul Crocker; Dean Fellman; Angela Marsh; Dave Mausel; Marshall Pecore; Joseph Phillippi; Ronald Waukau; Anthony Waupochick

    2017-01-01

    Ideally, variants of single-tree, group, and patch selection create new, spatially aggregated age classes and maintain a diversity of tree species and sizes in multiaged, mixed-species forests. We explored this notion in northern hardwood forests on the Menominee Nation, a forest ecosystem without the exploitive cutting history of most forests in the western Great...

  8. The national forest inventory of the United States of America

    Treesearch

    Ronald E. McRoberts

    2008-01-01

    The mission of the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to conduct the national forest inventory of the United States of America for purposes of estimating the area of forest land; the volume, growth, and removal of forest resources; and the health of the forest. Users of FIA data, estimates, and related...

  9. The forest-land owners of Delaware

    Treesearch

    Neal P. Kingsley; James C. Finley

    1975-01-01

    A statistical-analytical report on a mail canvass of the owners of privately owned forest land in Delaware, based on a study made in conjunction with the second forest survey of Delaware by the USDA Forest Service. Statistical findings are based on responses supplied by owners to a questionnaire. Trends in forest-land ownership and the attitudes and intentions of...

  10. Implications of land-use change on forest carbon stocks in the eastern United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Puhlick, Joshua; Woodall, Christopher; Weiskittel, Aaron

    2017-02-01

    Given the substantial role that forests play in removing CO2 from the atmosphere, there has been a growing need to evaluate the carbon (C) implications of various forest management and land-use decisions. Although assessment of land-use change is central to national-level greenhouse gas monitoring guidelines, it is rarely incorporated into forest stand-level evaluations of C dynamics and trajectories. To better inform the assessment of forest stand C dynamics in the context of potential land-use change, we used a region-wide repeated forest inventory (n = 71 444 plots) across the eastern United States to assess forest land-use conversion and associated changes in forest C stocks. Specifically, the probability of forest area reduction between 2002-2006 and 2007-2012 on these plots was related to key driving factors such as proportion of the landscape in forest land use, distance to roads, and initial forest C. Additional factors influencing the actual reduction in forest area were then used to assess the risk of forest land-use conversion to agriculture, settlement, and water. Plots in forests along the Great Plains had the highest periodic (approximately 5 years) probability of land-use change (0.160 ± 0.075; mean ± SD) with forest conversion to agricultural uses accounting for 70.5% of the observed land-use change. Aboveground forest C stock change for plots with a reduction in forest area was -4.2 ± 17.7 Mg ha-1 (mean ± SD). The finding that poorly stocked stands and/or those with small diameter trees had the highest probability of conversion to non-forest land uses suggests that forest management strategies can maintain the US terrestrial C sink not only in terms of increased net forest growth but also retention of forest area to avoid conversion. This study highlights the importance of considering land-use change in planning and policy decisions that seek to maintain or enhance regional C sinks.

  11. A neotropical migratory bird prioritization for National Forests and Grasslands

    Treesearch

    Dick Roth; Richard Peterson

    1997-01-01

    The Rocky Mountain Region of the USDA Forest Service provides nesting habitat for 146 species of neotropical migratory birds. Interactive, prioritization databases were developed for each National Forest and National Grassland in the Region to assist land managers in making informed decisions about resource allocations. The data was processed using Paradox software....

  12. 36 CFR 293.17 - National Forest Primitive Areas.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... lands reserved from the public domain and roads necessary for the exercise of a statutory right of...) Grazing of domestic livestock, development of water storage projects which do not involve road... on National Forest land or water unless such use by aircraft or motorboats has already become well...

  13. 36 CFR 293.17 - National Forest Primitive Areas.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... lands reserved from the public domain and roads necessary for the exercise of a statutory right of...) Grazing of domestic livestock, development of water storage projects which do not involve road... on National Forest land or water unless such use by aircraft or motorboats has already become well...

  14. Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Revision of the Coronado National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan: Cochise, Graham, Pima, Pinal, and Santa Cruz Counties, Arizona; Hidalgo County, New Mexico

    Treesearch

    Albert Peralta; Andrea Wargo Campbell; Ann Lynch; Cheri Bowen; Christopher Stetson; Craig Wilcox; Daniela Zormeier; Debby Kriegel; Delilah Jaworski; Dustin Walters; Eli Curiel; Erin Boyle; George McKay; Janet Moser; Jennifer Morrissey; Jennifer M. Ruyle; Jeremy Sautter; Judy York; Kenna Schoenle; Larry Jones; Laura White; Linda Peery; Mary Farrell; Mindi Lehew; Mindy Sue Vogel; Nicholas Laluk; Rachael Biggs; Robert Lefevre; Richard Gerhart; Salek Shafiqullah; Sara Dechter; Sarah Davis; Sharon Biedenbender; Tami Emmett; Terry Austin; William Gillespie; Yolynda Begay

    2013-01-01

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Coronado National Forest prepared this programmatic environmental impact statement to disclose the potential effects of a proposed action to revise the "Coronado National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan" (1986, as amended). The Coronado comprises 1,783,639 acres, most of which are located in...

  15. Global forest cover mapping for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization forest resources assessment 2000 program

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Zhu, Z.; Waller, E.

    2003-01-01

    Many countries periodically produce national reports on the status and changes of forest resources, using statistical surveys and spatial mapping of remotely sensed data. At the global level, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has conducted a Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) program every 10 yr since 1980, producing statistics and analysis that give a global synopsis of forest resources in the world. For the year 2000 of the FRA program (FRA2000), a global forest cover map was produced to provide spatial context to the extensive survey. The forest cover map, produced at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) EROS Data Center (EDC), has five classes: closed forest, open or fragmented forest, other wooded land, other land cover, and water. The first two forested classes at the global scale were delineated using combinations of temporal compositing, modified mixture analysis, geographic stratification, and other classification techniques. The remaining three FAO classes were derived primarily from the USGS global land cover characteristics database (Loveland et al. 1999). Validated on the basis of existing reference data sets, the map is estimated to be 77% accurate for the first four classes (no reference data were available for water), and 86% accurate for the forest and nonforest classification. The final map will be published as an insert to the FAO FRA2000 report.

  16. 43 CFR 3823.1 - Prospecting within National Forest Wilderness for the purpose of gathering information about...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Prospecting within National Forest... Locations, and Mineral Patents Within National Forest Wilderness § 3823.1 Prospecting within National Forest... Wilderness Act do not prevent any activity, including prospecting, within National Forest Wilderness for the...

  17. 43 CFR 3823.1 - Prospecting within National Forest Wilderness for the purpose of gathering information about...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Prospecting within National Forest... Locations, and Mineral Patents Within National Forest Wilderness § 3823.1 Prospecting within National Forest... Wilderness Act do not prevent any activity, including prospecting, within National Forest Wilderness for the...

  18. 43 CFR 3823.1 - Prospecting within National Forest Wilderness for the purpose of gathering information about...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Prospecting within National Forest... Locations, and Mineral Patents Within National Forest Wilderness § 3823.1 Prospecting within National Forest... Wilderness Act do not prevent any activity, including prospecting, within National Forest Wilderness for the...

  19. 43 CFR 3823.1 - Prospecting within National Forest Wilderness for the purpose of gathering information about...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Prospecting within National Forest... Locations, and Mineral Patents Within National Forest Wilderness § 3823.1 Prospecting within National Forest... Wilderness Act do not prevent any activity, including prospecting, within National Forest Wilderness for the...

  20. 43 CFR 19.8 - Prospecting, mineral locations, mineral patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 43 Public Lands: Interior 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Prospecting, mineral locations, mineral patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest Wilderness. 19.8 Section 19.8 Public Lands: Interior... § 19.8 Prospecting, mineral locations, mineral patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest...

  1. 43 CFR 19.8 - Prospecting, mineral locations, mineral patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 43 Public Lands: Interior 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Prospecting, mineral locations, mineral patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest Wilderness. 19.8 Section 19.8 Public Lands: Interior... § 19.8 Prospecting, mineral locations, mineral patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest...

  2. 43 CFR 19.8 - Prospecting, mineral locations, mineral patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 43 Public Lands: Interior 1 2012-10-01 2011-10-01 true Prospecting, mineral locations, mineral patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest Wilderness. 19.8 Section 19.8 Public Lands: Interior... § 19.8 Prospecting, mineral locations, mineral patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest...

  3. 43 CFR 19.8 - Prospecting, mineral locations, mineral patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 43 Public Lands: Interior 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Prospecting, mineral locations, mineral patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest Wilderness. 19.8 Section 19.8 Public Lands: Interior... § 19.8 Prospecting, mineral locations, mineral patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest...

  4. 75 FR 53340 - Request for Determination of Valid Existing Rights Within the Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-31

    ...), prohibits surface coal mining operations on Federal lands within the boundaries of any national forest, with... Determination of Valid Existing Rights Within the Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky AGENCY: Office of... mining operations on approximately 175 acres of land owned by the U.S. Forest Service within the Daniel...

  5. Timber volume and type acreage on the national forests of the north Pacific region from the inventory phase of the forest survey

    Treesearch

    R.W. Cowlin; F.L. Moravets

    1937-01-01

    Completion of the forest survey of Oregon and Washington has recently made it possible to compile reliable statistics as to the forest-land areas and timber volumes of the national forests in the North Pacific Region. This region, the sixth of 10 regions into which the United States is divided for purposes of national-forest administration, includes all the national-...

  6. Water Quality Conditions Associated with Cattle Grazing and Recreation on National Forest Lands

    PubMed Central

    Roche, Leslie M.; Kromschroeder, Lea; Atwill, Edward R.; Dahlgren, Randy A.; Tate, Kenneth W.

    2013-01-01

    nutrient concentrations between key grazing areas and non-concentrated use areas. Our results suggest cattle grazing, recreation, and provisioning of clean water can be compatible goals across these national forest lands. PMID:23826370

  7. Effects of satellite image spatial aggregation and resolution on estimates of forest land area

    Treesearch

    M.D. Nelson; R.E. McRoberts; G.R. Holden; M.E. Bauer

    2009-01-01

    Satellite imagery is being used increasingly in association with national forest inventories (NFIs) to produce maps and enhance estimates of forest attributes. We simulated several image spatial resolutions within sparsely and heavily forested study areas to assess resolution effects on estimates of forest land area, independent of other sensor characteristics. We...

  8. Timber harvest calculations on a National Forest: A case study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carey, Henry H.

    1983-03-01

    Harvest calculations determine sawtimber flows from public lands and are closely scruntinized by a wide spectrum of forest users. This study examines the reliability of harvest calculations on a single national forest in New Mexico Forest Service determinations of an array of variables were reviewed and evaluated. The study revealed a lack of precision in Forest Service adherence to self-imposed procedural standards governing the calculation process. Timber sales have taken place on lands where such standards prohibit harvesting and these lands have been included in annual harvest calculations. Assumptions required by a mathematical model used by the Forest Service in calculating the harvest were not followed in the subsequent implementation of the harvest level. These factors suggest that the Forest Service could have significantly over-stated annual harvest rate for the first decade. Opportunities exist to improve the calculation, and benefits realized may greatly exceed additional costs of implementation

  9. Forests and competing land uses in Kenya

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Allaway, James; Cox, Pamela M. J.

    1989-03-01

    Indigenous forests in Kenya, as in other developing countries, are under heavy pressure from competing agricultural land uses and from unsustainable cutting. The problem in Kenya is compounded by high population growth rates and an agriculturally based economy, which, even with efforts to control birth rates and industrialize, will persist into the next century. Both ecological and economic consequences of these pressures need to be considered in land-use decision making for land and forest management to be effective. This paper presents one way to combine ecological and economic considerations. The status of principal forest areas in Kenya is summarized and competing land uses compared on the basis of ecological functions and economic analysis. Replacement uses do not match the ecological functions of forest, although established stands of tree crops (forest plantations, fuel wood, tea) can have roughly comparable effects on soil and water resources. Indigenous forests have high, although difficult to estimate, economic benefits from tourism and protection of downstream agricultural productivity. Economic returns from competing land uses range widely, with tea having the highest and fuel wood plantations having returns comparable to some annual crops and dairying. Consideration of ecological and economic factors together suggests some trade-offs for improving land allocation decisions and several management opportunities for increasing benefits or reducing costs from particular land uses. The evaluation also suggests a general strategy for forest land management in Kenya.

  10. The forest-land owners of West Virginia

    Treesearch

    Thomas W. Birch; Neal P. Kingsley

    1978-01-01

    There are an estimated 207,500 owners of private commercial forest land in West Virginia. They own an average of 49.8 acres each. However, fewer than 500 owners own 30 percent of the private commercial forest land. Corporations hold 25 percent of the privately owned commercial forest land in the State. Seventy-seven percent of the owners intend to harvest timber from...

  11. 43 CFR 19.8 - Prospecting, mineral locations, mineral patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest Wilderness. 19.8 Section 19.8 Public Lands: Interior... § 19.8 Prospecting, mineral locations, mineral patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest... locations, mineral patents, and mineral leasing within National Forest Wilderness are contained in parts...

  12. 76 FR 62694 - Appeal of Decisions Relating to Occupancy or Use of National Forest System Lands and Resources

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-11

    ... System (NFS) lands and resources. The appeal process for decisions related to occupancy or use of NFS... of certain types of Forest Service decisions affecting their occupancy or use of NFS lands or... use NFS lands and resources to appeal certain Forest Service decisions with regard to the issuance...

  13. A comparative analysis of hardwood sawtimber quality of national forests versus adjacent lands

    Treesearch

    William G. Luppold; John E. Baumgras; Raymond M. Sheffield; Raymond M. Sheffield

    1998-01-01

    Since the mid 1980s, increased public scrutiny of timber sales in national forests and changes in Forest Service policy have resulted in delayed or reduced sales of hardwood sawtimber. As a result, the hardwood industry has become increasingly concerned about future supplies of timber from national forests. On the surface, these concerns seem difficult to understand...

  14. Monitoring forest/non-forest land use conversion rates with annual inventory data

    Treesearch

    Francis A. Roesch; Paul C. Van Deusen

    2012-01-01

    The transitioning of land from forest to other uses is of increasing interest as urban areas expand and the world’s population continues to grow. Also of interest, but less recognized, is the transitioning of land from other uses into forest. In this paper, we show how rates of conversion from forest to non-forest and non-forest to forest can be estimated in the US...

  15. White Mountain National Forest Alternative Transportation Study

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-09-22

    The White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) is one of the most visited federal lands for recreation in the country, attracting 1.7 million visitors annually. But growth in visitation to the WMNF is increasingly affecting the visitor experience and the ...

  16. Utilizing Forest Inventory and Analysis Data, Remote Sensing, and Ecosystem Models for National Forest System Carbon Assessments

    Treesearch

    Alexa J. Dugan; Richard A. Birdsey; Sean P. Healey; Christopher Woodall; Fangmin Zhang; Jing M. Chen; Alexander Hernandez; James B. McCarter

    2015-01-01

    Forested lands, representing the largest terrestrial carbon sink in the United States, offset 16% of total U.S. carbon dioxide emissions through carbon sequestration. Meanwhile, this carbon sink is threatened by deforestation, climate change and natural disturbances. As a result, U.S. Forest Service policies require that National Forests assess baseline carbon stocks...

  17. Effects of national forest-management regimes on unprotected forests of the Himalaya.

    PubMed

    Brandt, Jodi S; Allendorf, Teri; Radeloff, Volker; Brooks, Jeremy

    2017-12-01

    Globally, deforestation continues, and although protected areas effectively protect forests, the majority of forests are not in protected areas. Thus, how effective are different management regimes to avoid deforestation in non-protected forests? We sought to assess the effectiveness of different national forest-management regimes to safeguard forests outside protected areas. We compared 2000-2014 deforestation rates across the temperate forests of 5 countries in the Himalaya (Bhutan, Nepal, China, India, and Myanmar) of which 13% are protected. We reviewed the literature to characterize forest management regimes in each country and conducted a quasi-experimental analysis to measure differences in deforestation of unprotected forests among countries and states in India. Countries varied in both overarching forest-management goals and specific tenure arrangements and policies for unprotected forests, from policies emphasizing economic development to those focused on forest conservation. Deforestation rates differed up to 1.4% between countries, even after accounting for local determinants of deforestation, such as human population density, market access, and topography. The highest deforestation rates were associated with forest policies aimed at maximizing profits and unstable tenure regimes. Deforestation in national forest-management regimes that emphasized conservation and community management were relatively low. In India results were consistent with the national-level results. We interpreted our results in the context of the broader literature on decentralized, community-based natural resource management, and our findings emphasize that the type and quality of community-based forestry programs and the degree to which they are oriented toward sustainable use rather than economic development are important for forest protection. Our cross-national results are consistent with results from site- and regional-scale studies that show forest-management regimes that

  18. Exploring National Environmental Policy Act processes across federal land management agencies

    Treesearch

    Marc J. Stern; Michael J. Mortimer

    2009-01-01

    Broad discretion is granted at all levels throughout federal land management agencies regarding compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). We explored the diversity of procedures employed in NEPA processes across four agencies, the USDA Forest Service, The USDI National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers...

  19. White River National Forest Hanging Lake transportation and operations study

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2017-05-01

    Hanging Lake is a recreation site located on land managed by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) under the jurisdiction of the White River National Forests Eagle-Holy Cross Ranger District. Due to its increasing popularity over the past few years, the ...

  20. Translating national level forest service goals to local level land management: carbon sequestration

    Treesearch

    Steven McNulty; Emrys Treasure; Lisa Jennings; David Meriwether; David Harris; Paul Arndt

    2017-01-01

    The USDA Forest Service has many national level policies related to multiple use management. However, translating national policy to stand level forest management can be difficult. As an example of how a national policy can be put into action, we examined three case studies in which a desired future condition is evaluated at the national, region, and local scale. We...

  1. Uwharrie national forest case study

    Treesearch

    S.G McNulty

    2008-01-01

    The Uwharrie National Forest (originally called the Uwharrie Reservation) was first purchased by the federal government in 1931 during the Great Depression. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed the federal lands in Montgomery, Randolph, and Davidson Counties (Fig. A1.6). The UNF is within a two-hour drive of North Carolina’s largest population centers,...

  2. Evaluation of the use of scientific information in developing the 1997 Forest plan for the Tongass National Forest.

    Treesearch

    Fred H. Everest; Douglas N. Swanston; Charles G. Shaw; Winston P. Smith; Kent R. Julin; Stewart D. Allen

    1997-01-01

    The Tongass National Forest is the largest remaining relatively unaltered coastal temperate rain forest in the world. The Forest consists of 16.9 million acres of land distributed across more that 22,000 islands and a narrow strip of mainland in southeast Alaska. The Forest contains abundant timber, wildlife, fisheries, mineral, and scenic resources. The authors...

  3. Analysing land cover and land use change in the Matobo National Park and surroundings in Zimbabwe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scharsich, Valeska; Mtata, Kupakwashe; Hauhs, Michael; Lange, Holger; Bogner, Christina

    2016-04-01

    Natural forests are threatened worldwide, therefore their protection in National Parks is essential. Here, we investigate how this protection status affects the land cover. To answer this question, we analyse the surface reflectance of three Landsat images of Matobo National Park and surrounding in Zimbabwe from 1989, 1998 and 2014 to detect changes in land cover in this region. To account for the rolling countryside and the resulting prominent shadows, a topographical correction of the surface reflectance was required. To infer land cover changes it is not only necessary to have some ground data for the current satellite images but also for the old ones. In particular for the older images no recent field study could help to reconstruct these data reliably. In our study we follow the idea that land cover classes of pixels in current images can be transferred to the equivalent pixels of older ones if no changes occurred meanwhile. Therefore we combine unsupervised clustering with supervised classification as follows. At first, we produce a land cover map for 2014. Secondly, we cluster the images with clara, which is similar to k-means, but suitable for large data sets. Whereby the best number of classes were determined to be 4. Thirdly, we locate unchanged pixels with change vector analysis in the images of 1989 and 1998. For these pixels we transfer the corresponding cluster label from 2014 to 1989 and 1998. Subsequently, the classified pixels serve as training data for supervised classification with random forest, which is carried out for each image separately. Finally, we derive land cover classes from the Landsat image in 2014, photographs and Google Earth and transfer them to the other two images. The resulting classes are shrub land; forest/shallow waters; bare soils/fields with some trees/shrubs; and bare light soils/rocks, fields and settlements. Subsequently the three different classifications are compared and land changes are mapped. The main changes are

  4. Terrestrial condition assessment for national forests of the USDA Forest Service in the continental US

    Treesearch

    David Cleland; Keith Reynolds; Robert Vaughan; Barbara Schrader; Harbin Li; Larry Laing

    2017-01-01

    The terrestrial condition assessment (TCA) evaluates effects of uncharacteristic stressors and disturbance agents on land-type associations (LTAs) to identify restoration opportunities on national forest system (NFS) lands in the United States. A team of agency scientists and managers, representing a broad array of natural resource disciplines, developed a logic...

  5. Public attitudes toward forest management: a Shawnee National Forest example

    Treesearch

    Joanne Vining

    2003-01-01

    One of the fundamental problems of modern public lands management is the accurate and representative assessment of public opinion. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in perceptions and attitudes of Shawnee National Forest management activities and plans among members of local and regional publics. A survey was administered to members of the public in...

  6. National forests

    Treesearch

    Linda A. Joyce; Geoffry M. Blate; Jeremy S. Littell; Steven G. McNulty; Constance I. Millar; Susanne C. Moser; Ronald P. Neilson; Kathy O' Halloran; David L. Peterson

    2008-01-01

    The National Forest System (NFS) is composed of 155 national forests (NFs) and 20 national grasslands (NGs), which encompass a wide range of ecosystems, harbor much of the nation’s biodiversity, and provide myriad goods and services. The mission of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), which manages the NFS, has broadened from water and timber to sustaining ecosystem health...

  7. Availability of forest and associated land resources in Illinois

    Treesearch

    John H. III Burde; David C. Baumgartner

    1978-01-01

    Describes the extent of forest land resources in Illinois and estimates their availability for timber and recreational uses using both conventional definitions of forest land and the broader concept of forest and associated land.

  8. Photo series for quantifying forest residues in managed lands of the Medicine Bow National Forest

    Treesearch

    John B. Popp; John E. Lundquist

    2006-01-01

    This photo series presents a visual representation of a range of fuel loading conditions specifically found on the Medicine Bow National Forest. The photos are grouped by forest type and past management practices. This field guide describes the distribution of different types of woody fuels and includes some vegetation data.

  9. 78 FR 23491 - National Forest System Land Management Planning; Correction

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-19

    ... April 19, 2013. ADDRESSES: Written inquiries about this correction document may be sent to the Director..., Indians, Intergovernmental relations, National forests, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Science...

  10. Thematic Accuracy Assessment of the 2011 National Land ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Accuracy assessment is a standard protocol of National Land Cover Database (NLCD) mapping. Here we report agreement statistics between map and reference labels for NLCD 2011, which includes land cover for ca. 2001, ca. 2006, and ca. 2011. The two main objectives were assessment of agreement between map and reference labels for the three, single-date NLCD land cover products at Level II and Level I of the classification hierarchy, and agreement for 17 land cover change reporting themes based on Level I classes (e.g., forest loss; forest gain; forest, no change) for three change periods (2001–2006, 2006–2011, and 2001–2011). The single-date overall accuracies were 82%, 83%, and 83% at Level II and 88%, 89%, and 89% at Level I for 2011, 2006, and 2001, respectively. Many class-specific user's accuracies met or exceeded a previously established nominal accuracy benchmark of 85%. Overall accuracies for 2006 and 2001 land cover components of NLCD 2011 were approximately 4% higher (at Level II and Level I) than the overall accuracies for the same components of NLCD 2006. The high Level I overall, user's, and producer's accuracies for the single-date eras in NLCD 2011 did not translate into high class-specific user's and producer's accuracies for many of the 17 change reporting themes. User's accuracies were high for the no change reporting themes, commonly exceeding 85%, but were typically much lower for the reporting themes that represented change. Only forest l

  11. Land-Base Changes in the United States: Long-Term Assessments of Forest Land Condition

    Treesearch

    Ralph J. Alig

    2006-01-01

    Forest land conditions affect the potential of U.S. forests to sustain a wide array of forest goods and environmental services (e.g., biodiversity) that society demands. Forest survey data collected by U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) units are being used in long-term assessments of U.S. forest land conditions at large...

  12. 75 FR 23666 - Huron-Manistee National Forests, White Pines Wind Farm Project, Mason County, MI

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-04

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Huron-Manistee National Forests, White Pines Wind Farm... environmental impact statement for the White Pines Wind Farm Project on National Forest System (NFS) lands... terminates the environmental analysis process for the White Pines Wind Farm Project. DATES: The Notice of...

  13. 77 FR 65095 - National Forest Products Week, 2012

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-24

    ... National Forest Products Week, 2012 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Since... Products Week, we celebrate sustainable uses of the lands we share and recommit to protecting them for... making our Nation what it is today, and they remain vital to our progress in the years ahead. This week...

  14. 78 FR 33705 - Postdecisional Administrative Review Process for Occupancy or Use of National Forest System Lands...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service 36 CFR Parts 212, 214, 215, 222, 228, 241, 251, 254, and... System Lands and Resources AGENCY: USDA, Forest Service. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The United States... individuals and entities may obtain administrative review of certain types of Forest Service (Agency...

  15. The forest-land owners of New York

    Treesearch

    Thomas W. Birch

    1983-01-01

    Information about the attitudes and objectives of the private forest-land owners is essential to understanding New York's forest resources. Ninety-four percent of New York's 15.4 million acres of commercial forest land is in 506,500 private ownerships. Eighty-nine percent of these ownerships are individual and joint ownerships. A majority, 66 percent of these...

  16. Forest-land clearing and wood recovery in Maryland

    Treesearch

    James T. Bones

    1980-01-01

    Changing land use often results in removal of the existing forest cover. During a resurvey of Maryland's timber resources, a study was conducted to measure the losses of wood fiber attributable to forest-land clearing. An estimated 107 million cubic feet of growing stock were destroyed on 164,000 acres of commercial forest land cleared between 1961 and 1972. For...

  17. Remote Sensing of Forest Loss and Human Land Use to Predict Biodiversity Impacts in Myanmar

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Connette, G.; Huang, Q.; Leimgruber, P.; Songer, M.

    2017-12-01

    Myanmar's ongoing transition from military rule towards a democratic government has largely ended decades of economic isolation. The resulting expansion of foreign investment, infrastructure development, and natural resource extraction has led to high rates of deforestation and the concurrent loss of critical wildlife habitat. To identify and mitigate the impacts of rapid land use change on Myanmar's globally-unique biodiversity, researchers at Smithsonian's Conservation Biology Institute have used moderate-resolution satellite imagery to map forest cover change at the national scale, while performing regional- or local-scale analyses to identify ecologically-distinct forest types. At the national scale, forest was lost at a rate of 0.55% annually from 2002-2014. Deforestation was more pronounced in Myanmar's closed-canopy forests (>80% cover), which experienced an annual rate of forest loss of 0.95%. Studies at regional and local scales show that ecologically-distinct forest types vary considerably in both geographic extent and risk of conversion to human land use. For instance, local deforestation rates around a proposed national park in Myanmar's Tanintharyi Region were 7.83% annually and have been accelerating. Recent integration of such results into wildlife habitat mapping and national conservation planning can play an important role in ensuring that future development in Myanmar is both informed and sustainable.

  18. Terrestrial ecosystems: national inventory of vegetation and land use

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gergely, Kevin J.; McKerrow, Alexa

    2013-11-12

    The Gap Analysis Program (GAP)/Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools (LANDFIRE) National Terrestrial Ecosystems Data represents detailed data on the vegetation and land-use patterns of the United States, including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. This national dataset combines detailed land cover data generated by the GAP with LANDFIRE data (http://www.landfire.gov/). LANDFIRE is an interagency vegetation, fire, and fuel characteristics mapping program sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

  19. 75 FR 52716 - Transfer of Land to Forest Service

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-27

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Transfer of Land to Forest Service AGENCY: Forest Service... Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, respectively signed a land transfer agreement... from the Farm Service Agency to the Forest Service. This administrative transfer is authorized by...

  20. Management perceptions of off-highway vehicle use on national forest system lands in Appalachia

    Treesearch

    Katherine A. Thompson; Chad D. Pierskalla; Michael A. Schuett

    2008-01-01

    In 2005, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) issued new standards for dealing with unmanaged recreation. All National Forest System units are to develop travel management plans by 2009. The purpose of this study was to determine differences in perceptions between USFS managers of national forests in Appalachia with low and high levels of offhighway vehicle (OHV) use...

  1. The influence of multiple ownership interests and decision-making networks on the management of family forest lands: evidence from the United States

    Treesearch

    Stephanie A. Snyder; Michael A. Kilgore

    2018-01-01

    A national assessment of how the number of parcel owners influence family forest land management and use decisions in the US was conducted using a subset of the US Forest Service's National Woodland Owner Survey Dataset. Seventy-two percent of single parcel family forest land ownership respondents of at least 4.05 ha had multiple owners. The extent to which past...

  2. The forest-land owners of southern New England

    Treesearch

    Neal P. Kingsley

    1976-01-01

    A statistical-analytical report of a mail canvass of the owners of privately owned commercial forest land in the three Southern New England States-Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The study was conducted in conjunction with the second forest survey of Southern New England by the USDA Forest Service. Trends in forest-land ownership and the attitudes and...

  3. Quantifying the role of National Forest system lands in providing surface drinking water supply for the Southern United States

    Treesearch

    Peter Caldwell; Corinne Muldoon; Chelcy Ford-Miniat; Erika Cohen; Suzanne Krieger; Ge Sun; Steven McNulty; Paul V. Bolstad

    2014-01-01

    Forests and water are inextricably linked, and people are dependent on forested lands to provide clean, reliable water supplies for drinking and to support local economies. These water supplies are at risk of degradation from a growing population, continued conversion of forests to other land uses, and climate change. Given the variety of threats to surface water, it...

  4. Forest resources of the Prescott National Forest

    Treesearch

    Paul Rogers

    2003-01-01

    The Interior West Forest Inventory and Analysis (IWFIA) program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, as part of its national Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) duties, conducted forest resource inventories of the Southwestern Region (Region 3) National Forests. This report presents highlights of the Prescott National Forest 1996...

  5. 76 FR 24514 - Public Land Order No. 7764; Partial Revocation of Public Land Order No. 1479; Idaho

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-02

    ... acres of National Forest System land withdrawn on behalf of the United States Forest Service for Priest Lake Recreation Areas within the Kaniksu National Forest. The order also opens the land to disposition.... 1714, it is ordered as follows: 1. Public Land Order No. 1479, which withdrew National Forest System...

  6. National Forest System working circles: a question of size and ownership composition

    Treesearch

    Robert J. Hrubes

    1976-01-01

    Allowable-cut (potential yield) levels on National Forest land are determined for planning units called working circles. The size of working circles has been increased over the past 30 years to the present scale which is often coincident with National Forest boundaries. Larger working circles have recently been considered because of the anticipated impacts on timber...

  7. Forest resources of the Tonto National Forest

    Treesearch

    John D. Shaw

    2004-01-01

    The Interior West Forest Inventory and Analysis (IWFIA) program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, as part of its national Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) duties, conducted forest resource inventories of the Southwestern Region (Region 3) National Forests. This report presents highlights of the Tonto National Forest 1996 inventory...

  8. Forest resources of the Lincoln National Forest

    Treesearch

    John D. Shaw

    2006-01-01

    The Interior West Forest Inventory and Analysis (IWFIA) program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, as part of its national Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) duties, conducted forest resource inventories of the Southwestern Region (Region 3) National Forests. This report presents highlights of the Lincoln National Forest 1997 inventory...

  9. Forest resources of the Gila National Forest

    Treesearch

    John D. Shaw

    2008-01-01

    The Interior West Forest Inventory and Analysis (IWFIA) program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, as part of its national Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) duties, conducted forest resource inventories of the Southwestern Region (Region 3) National Forests. This report presents highlights of the Gila National Forest 1994 inventory including...

  10. Carbon stocks and changes on Pacific Northwest national forests and the role of disturbance, management, and growth

    Treesearch

    Andrew N. Gray; Thomas R. Whittier

    2014-01-01

    The National Forest System (NFS) of the United States plays an important role in the carbon cycle because these lands make up a large proportion of the forested land in the country and commonly store more wood per unit area than other forest ownerships. In addition to sustaining natural resources, these lands are managed for multiple objectives that do not always align...

  11. Forest Land Ownership in the Conterminous United States [map

    Treesearch

    Mark D. Nelson; Greg C. Liknes

    2007-01-01

    Patterns of public and private forestland ownership vary across the United States. For example, two-thirds of western forestland is publicly owned, mostly by federal agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service. However, more than 80 percent of eastern forestland is privately owned. Private forestland is further...

  12. Forest conservation and land development in Puerto Rico.

    Treesearch

    E.H. Helmer

    2004-01-01

    In the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, rapid land-use changes over the past century have included recent landcover conversion to urban/built-up lands. Observations of this land development adjacent to reserves or replacing dense forest call into question how the changes relate to forests or reserved lands. Using existing maps, this study first summarizes island-wide...

  13. Applications of national land cover maps in United States forestry

    Treesearch

    Kurt H. Riitters; Gregory A. Reams

    2008-01-01

    Land cover maps derived from satellite imagery have a long and varied history of uses in United States forestry science and management. This article reviews recent developments concerning the use of national- to continental-scale land cover maps for inventory, monitoring, and resource assessment in the U.S. Forest Service. The use of mid-scale digital resolution...

  14. Guide to the willows of Shoshone National Forest

    Treesearch

    Walter Fertig; Stuart Markow

    2001-01-01

    Correct identification of willow species is an important part of land management. This guide describes the 29 willows that are known to occur on the Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming. Keys to pistillate catkins and leaf morphology are included with illustrations and plant descriptions.

  15. 25 CFR 163.10 - Management of Indian forest land.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Management of Indian forest land. 163.10 Section 163.10 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER GENERAL FORESTRY REGULATIONS Forest Management and Operations § 163.10 Management of Indian forest land. (a) The Secretary shall...

  16. 25 CFR 163.35 - Indian forest land assistance account.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true Indian forest land assistance account. 163.35 Section 163.35 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER GENERAL FORESTRY REGULATIONS Forest Management and Operations § 163.35 Indian forest land assistance account. (a) At the...

  17. 25 CFR 163.10 - Management of Indian forest land.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Management of Indian forest land. 163.10 Section 163.10 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER GENERAL FORESTRY REGULATIONS Forest Management and Operations § 163.10 Management of Indian forest land. (a) The Secretary shall...

  18. 25 CFR 163.10 - Management of Indian forest land.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true Management of Indian forest land. 163.10 Section 163.10 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER GENERAL FORESTRY REGULATIONS Forest Management and Operations § 163.10 Management of Indian forest land. (a) The Secretary shall...

  19. 25 CFR 163.35 - Indian forest land assistance account.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Indian forest land assistance account. 163.35 Section 163.35 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER GENERAL FORESTRY REGULATIONS Forest Management and Operations § 163.35 Indian forest land assistance account. (a) At the...

  20. 25 CFR 163.10 - Management of Indian forest land.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Management of Indian forest land. 163.10 Section 163.10 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER GENERAL FORESTRY REGULATIONS Forest Management and Operations § 163.10 Management of Indian forest land. (a) The Secretary shall...

  1. 25 CFR 163.35 - Indian forest land assistance account.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Indian forest land assistance account. 163.35 Section 163.35 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER GENERAL FORESTRY REGULATIONS Forest Management and Operations § 163.35 Indian forest land assistance account. (a) At the...

  2. 25 CFR 163.35 - Indian forest land assistance account.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Indian forest land assistance account. 163.35 Section 163.35 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER GENERAL FORESTRY REGULATIONS Forest Management and Operations § 163.35 Indian forest land assistance account. (a) At the...

  3. An Assessment of the Forest and Range Land Situation in the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hair, Dwight; And Others

    This report is a comprehensive analysis of the renewable resources of forest and range land and associated waters prepared in response to provisions of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974. It shows that the nation's demands for outdoor recreation, wildlife and fish, range grazing, timber, and water have been growing…

  4. Downscaling Indicators of Forest Habitat Structure from National Assessments

    Treesearch

    Kurt H. Riitters

    2005-01-01

    Downscaling is an important problem because consistent large-area assessments of forest habitat structure, while feasible, are only feasible when using relatively coarse data and indicators. Techniques are needed to enable more detailed and local interpretations of the national statistics. Using the results of national assessments from land-cover maps, this paper...

  5. The forest-land owners of New Jersey

    Treesearch

    Neal P. Kingsley

    1975-01-01

    Results of a mail canvass of forest-land owners in New Jersey, conducted in conjunction with the second forest survey of the State, show that there are 63,600 owners of the 1,537,900 acres of privately owned commercial forest land in the State. These owners hold an average of 24.2 acres each. However, more than half of the ownerships are of less than 10 acres, so the...

  6. Past and prospective carbon stocks in forests of northern Wisconsin: a report from the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest Climate Change Response Framework

    Treesearch

    Richard Birdsey; Yude Pan; Maria Janowiak; Susan Stewart; Sarah Hines; Linda Parker; Stith Gower; Jeremy Lichstein; Kevin McCullough; Fangmin Zhang; Jing Chen; David Mladenoff; Craig Wayson; Chris Swanston

    2014-01-01

    This report assesses past and prospective carbon stocks for 4.5 million ha of forest land in northern Wisconsin, including a baseline assessment and analysis of the impacts of disturbance and management on carbon stocks. Carbon density (amount of carbon stock per unit area) averages 237 megagrams (Mg) per ha, with the National Forest lands having slightly higher carbon...

  7. Forest resources of the Clearwater National Forest

    Treesearch

    Ryan P. Hughes

    2011-01-01

    The Interior West Forest Inventory and Analysis (IWFIA) Program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, as part of our National Forest System cooperative inventories, conducted a forest resource inventory on the Clearwater National Forest using a nationally standardized mapped-plot design (for more details see section "Inventory methods...

  8. Land-cover change research at the U.S. Geological Survey-assessing our nation's dynamic land surface

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wilson, Tamara S.

    2011-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed an unprecedented, 27-year assessment of land-use and land-cover change for the conterminous United States. For the period 1973 to 2000, scientists generated estimates of change in major types of land use and land cover, such as development, mining, agriculture, forest, grasslands, and wetlands. To help provide the insight that our Nation will need to make land-use decisions in coming decades, the historical trends data is now being used by the USGS to help model potential future land use/land cover under different scenarios, including climate, environmental, economic, population, public policy, and technological change.

  9. Carbon factors and models for forest carbon estimates for the 2005-2011 National Greenhouse Gas Inventories of the United States

    Treesearch

    James E. Smith; Linda S. Heath; Coeli M. Hoover

    2013-01-01

    Most nations have ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and are mandated to report National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, including the land use, land use change and forestry sector when it is significant. Participating countries commonly use data from national forest inventories as a basis for their forest-related emissions estimates. The...

  10. Tennessee's forest land area was stable 1999-2005 but early successional forest area declined

    Treesearch

    Christopher M. Oswalt

    2008-01-01

    A new analysis of the most recent (2005) annualized moving average data for Tennessee indicates that the area of forest land in the State remained stable between 1999 and 2005. Although trends in forest land area vary from region to region within the State, Tennessee neither lost nor gained forest land between 1999 and 2005. However, Tennessee had more than 2.5 times...

  11. The economic and geographic impact of national forest land on counties in southern Illinois.

    Treesearch

    David Spencer; Ronald I. Beazley

    1979-01-01

    Analyzes the impact of the Shawnee National Forest on the socioeconomic structure of 11 counties in southern Illinois. Includes a factor analysis model as well as an assessment of tax losses to local government as a result of the National Forest.

  12. Forest resources of the Bighorn National Forest

    Treesearch

    Christopher Witt

    2008-01-01

    The Interior West Forest Inventory and Analysis (IWFIA) Program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, as part of our National Forest System cooperative inventories, conducted a forest resource inventory on the Bighorn National Forest (Bighorn) using a nationally standardized mapped-plot design. This report presents the highlights of this 2000...

  13. Forest resources of the Shoshone National Forest

    Treesearch

    James Menlove

    2008-01-01

    The Interior West Forest Inventory and Analysis (IWFIA) Program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, as part of our National Forest System cooperative inventories, conducted a forest resource inventory on the Shoshone National Forest using a nationally standardized mapped-plot design. This report presents the highlights of this 1999 inventory...

  14. National Satellite Forest Monitoring systems for REDD+

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jonckheere, I. G.

    2012-12-01

    Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is an effort to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. "REDD+" goes beyond deforestation and forest degradation, and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. In the framework of getting countries ready for REDD+, the UN-REDD Programme assists developing countries to prepare and implement national REDD+ strategies. For the monitoring, reporting and verification, FAO supports the countries to develop national satellite forest monitoring systems that allow for credible measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of REDD+ activities. These are among the most critical elements for the successful implementation of any REDD+ mechanism. The UN-REDD Programme through a joint effort of FAO and Brazil's National Space Agency, INPE, is supporting countries to develop cost- effective, robust and compatible national monitoring and MRV systems, providing tools, methodologies, training and knowledge sharing that help countries to strengthen their technical and institutional capacity for effective MRV systems. To develop strong nationally-owned forest monitoring systems, technical and institutional capacity building is key. The UN-REDD Programme, through FAO, has taken on intensive training together with INPE, and has provided technical help and assistance for in-country training and implementation for national satellite forest monitoring. The goal of the support to UN-REDD pilot countries in this capacity building effort is the training of technical forest people and IT persons from interested REDD+ countries, and to set- up the national satellite forest monitoring systems. The Brazilian forest monitoring system, TerraAmazon, which is used as a basis for this initiative, allows

  15. Quantifying the role of forested lands in providing surface drinking water supply for Puerto Rico

    Treesearch

    Erika Cohen; Ge Sun; Liangxia Zhang; Peter Caldwell; Suzanne Krieger

    2017-01-01

    The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture published a General Technical Report (GTR-SRS-197) in 2014 that quantified the role that water originating on National Forest System lands contributed to the drinking water supply and determined what population and communities were being served in the 13 Southern States of Region 8 of the Forest Service. The...

  16. Estimating the Net Economic Value of National Forest Recreation: An Application of the National Visitor Use Monitoring Database

    Treesearch

    J.M. Bowker; C.M. Starbuck; D.B.K. English; J.C. Bergstrom; R.S. Rosenburger; D.C. McCollum

    2009-01-01

    The USDA Forest Service (FS) manages 193 million acres of public land in the United States. These public resources include vast quantities of natural resources including timber, wildlife, watersheds, air sheds, and ecosystems. The Forest Service was established in 1905, and the FS has been directed by Congress to manage the National Forests and Grasslands for the...

  17. Digital analytical data from mineral resource assessments of national forest lands in Washington

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Boleneus, D.E.; Chase, D.W.

    1999-01-01

    Extensive reconnaissance assessments of the mineral resource potential of the Colville and Okanogan National Forests in northeastern Washington were conducted during 1979-1982 by a private consultant A.R. Grant, under contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. These forests occupy large parts of Pend Oreille, Stevens, Ferry, and Okanogan counties, and smaller parts of Whatcom, Skagit, and Chelan counties adjoining Okanogan County in the Cascades. Sampled terrain also included the Kaniksu National Forest in Pend Oreille County and one stream bed of the Kaniksu in adjacent Bonner County, Idaho. Two unpublished reports resulting from the assessments (Grant, 1982a,b) list a total of 3,927 analyses of gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, molybdenum, tungsten, and uranium content of stream sediment and bedrock samples collected at widely dispersed sites in the three National Forests. This report makes this important body of work available in digital form on diskettes, to enhance manipulations with computer spreadsheets, geographic information systems (GIS), and digital spatial analyses. This will allow for utilization of data by modern day explorationists and by the general geodata user community.

  18. Effects of parcelization and land divestiture on forest sustainability in simulated forest landscapes

    Treesearch

    Eric J. Gustafson; Craig Loehle

    2006-01-01

    Ownership parcelization of forest land and divestiture of industrial forest land is increasing throughout the U.S. This may affect (positively or negatively) the ability of forested landscapes to produce benefits that society values, such as fiber, biodiversity and recreation. We used a timber harvest simulator and neutral model landscapes to systematically study how...

  19. Quantifying Carbon Consequences of Recent Land Management, Disturbances and Subsequent Forest Recovery in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystems (GYE)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, F. R.; Healey, S. P.; McCarter, J. B.; Garrard, C.; Zhu, Z.; Huang, C.

    2016-12-01

    Natural disturbances and land management directly alter C stored in biomass and soil pools, and forest recovery following these events are critical for long-term regional C balance. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), located in Central Rocky Mountains of United States, is of different land ownerships within similar environmental settings, making it an ideal site to examine the impacts of land management, disturbance and forest recovery on regional C dynamics. Recent advances in the remote sensing of vegetation condition and change, along with new techniques linking remote sensing with inventory records, have allowed investigations that are much more tightly constrained to actual landscape environments instead of hypothetical or generalized conditions. These new capabilities are built into the Forest Carbon Management Framework (ForCaMF), which is being used by the National Forest System to not only model, but to monitor across very specific management units, the impact of different kinds of disturbance on carbon storage. In this study, we used the ForCaMF approach to examine three C related management questions in GYE National Parks and National Forests: 1) what was the carbon storage impact of fire disturbance and management activities from 1985 to 2010 in the GYE National Parks and National Forests? 2) Using an historic fire that occurred in 1988 as a basis for comparison, what difference would active post-fire forest restoration make in subsequent C storage? 3) In light of the fact that GYE National Forests significantly reduced harvest rates in the 1990s, how would maintaining high harvest rates of the 1980s impacted C storage? Simulation results show that recent forest fires in the GYE National Parks induced an accumulative C storage loss of about 12 Mg/ha, compared with C storage loss up to 2 Mg/ha in the GYE National Forests by harvests. If the high harvest rates as of the 1980s had been maintained, C emissions from the National Forests ( 11 Mg

  20. 36 CFR 293.17 - National Forest Primitive Areas.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ..., there shall be no roads or other provision for motorized transportation, no commercial timber cutting... camps, hunting and fishing lodges, or similar uses: Provided, That existing roads over National Forest lands reserved from the public domain and roads necessary for the exercise of a statutory right of...

  1. Implications of changing national policies on land use in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh.

    PubMed

    Thapa, Gopal B; Rasul, Golam

    2006-12-01

    Land use in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh had undergone changes over the past several centuries. The landscape, which was mostly covered with forest with interspersed shifting cultivation plots until the beginning of the colonial period, has gradually changed into a landscape with a blend of land uses. Overall, the forest area has gradually declined, while the area under shifting cultivation and sedentary agriculture has expanded. The process of the change was multi-directional. National forestry, land use, land taxation, population migration policies, and development activities, such as construction of a hydroelectric dam and roads, played an important role in this process. Shifting cultivation had inflicted little damage on the forest until the beginning of the colonial period. The pace of deforestation accelerated with the nationalization of forests which abolished tribal people's customary use and management rights to the forest, and allowed large-scale commercial logging both legally and illegally. The pace was further intensified by the policy encouraging population migration to CHT and construction of a reservoir on the Karnafuli River. Efforts were made to replace shifting cultivation with more productive types of sedentary agriculture. However, much change could not take place in the absence of secure land rights, supportive trade policies, and the required support services and facilities, including infrastructure. Locationally suitable land use evolved in areas where transportation facilities were available and farmers were granted land title with the necessary extension services and credit facilities. These findings have important policy implications for the promotion of environmentally and economically sound land use in CHT.

  2. 75 FR 43138 - Ochoco National Forest, Lookout Mountain Ranger District; Oregon; Howard Elliot Johnson Fuels and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-07-23

    ...; Oregon; Howard Elliot Johnson Fuels and Vegetation Management Project EIS AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA... Prineville, Oregon. The project area includes National Forest and Bureau of Land Management System lands in... effects will take place. The Howard Elliot Johnson Fuels and Vegetation Management Project decision and...

  3. 77 FR 24176 - Bridger-Teton National Forest; Wyoming; Long Term Special Use Authorization for Wyoming Game and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-23

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Bridger-Teton National Forest; Wyoming; Long Term Special Use Authorization for Wyoming Game and Fish Commission To Use National Forest System Land for Their... Game and Fish Commission (WGFC) to continue to use facilities at Alkali Creek Feedground to conduct...

  4. Taxation of forest and associated land in Illinois.

    Treesearch

    David C. Baumgartner; Ronald I. Beazley

    1979-01-01

    Analyzes the operation and impact of the property tax on forest and associated land in Illinois and evaluates the potential of adjustments in the tax as an incentive to better management of forest and associated land.

  5. Carbon uptake by mature Amazon forests has mitigated Amazon nations' carbon emissions.

    PubMed

    Phillips, Oliver L; Brienen, Roel J W

    2017-12-01

    Several independent lines of evidence suggest that Amazon forests have provided a significant carbon sink service, and also that the Amazon carbon sink in intact, mature forests may now be threatened as a result of different processes. There has however been no work done to quantify non-land-use-change forest carbon fluxes on a national basis within Amazonia, or to place these national fluxes and their possible changes in the context of the major anthropogenic carbon fluxes in the region. Here we present a first attempt to interpret results from ground-based monitoring of mature forest carbon fluxes in a biogeographically, politically, and temporally differentiated way. Specifically, using results from a large long-term network of forest plots, we estimate the Amazon biomass carbon balance over the last three decades for the different regions and nine nations of Amazonia, and evaluate the magnitude and trajectory of these differentiated balances in relation to major national anthropogenic carbon emissions. The sink of carbon into mature forests has been remarkably geographically ubiquitous across Amazonia, being substantial and persistent in each of the five biogeographic regions within Amazonia. Between 1980 and 2010, it has more than mitigated the fossil fuel emissions of every single national economy, except that of Venezuela. For most nations (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname) the sink has probably additionally mitigated all anthropogenic carbon emissions due to Amazon deforestation and other land use change. While the sink has weakened in some regions since 2000, our analysis suggests that Amazon nations which are able to conserve large areas of natural and semi-natural landscape still contribute globally-significant carbon sequestration. Mature forests across all of Amazonia have contributed significantly to mitigating climate change for decades. Yet Amazon nations have not directly benefited from providing this global scale

  6. A National Assessment of Forest Fragmentation Change for the Conterminous United States

    EPA Science Inventory

    Determination of land-cover change is important for ecological assessments and environmental planning. We used national land-cover change data, resolved at 0.09 ha per pixel, to assess change in forest fragmentation for the conterminous United States. Temporal change in fragmen...

  7. Effects of changing forest land definitions on forest inventory on the West Coast, USA

    Treesearch

    David L. Azuma; Andrew Gray

    2014-01-01

    A key function of forest inventory is to detect changes in the area of forest land over time, yet different definitions of forest land are used in different regions of the world. Changes in the definition of forest intended to improve international consistency can affect the ability to quantify true changes over time. The objective of this study was to evaluate the...

  8. Integrating ecosystem services into national Forest Service policy and operations

    Treesearch

    Robert Deal; Lisa Fong; Erin Phelps; Emily Weidner; Jonas Epstein; Tommie Herbert; Mary Snieckus; Nikola Smith; Tania Ellersick; Greg Arthaud

    2017-01-01

    The ecosystem services concept describes the many benefits people receive from nature. It highlights the importance of managing public and private lands sustainably to ensure these benefits continue into the future, and it closely aligns with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) mission to “sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and...

  9. Forest resources of nations in relation to human well-being.

    PubMed

    Kauppi, Pekka E; Sandström, Vilma; Lipponen, Antti

    2018-01-01

    A universal turnaround has been detected in many countries of the World from shrinking to expanding forests. The forest area of western Europe expanded already in the 19th century. Such early trends of forest resources cannot be associated with the rapid rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide nor with the anthropogenic climate change, which have taken place since the mid 20th century. Modern, most recent spatial patterns of forest expansions and contractions do not correlate with the geography of climate trends nor with dry versus moist areas. Instead, the forest resources trends of nations correlate positively with UNDP Human Development Index. This indicates that forest resources of nations have improved along with progress in human well-being. Highly developed countries apply modern agricultural methods on good farmlands and abandon marginal lands, which become available for forest expansion. Developed countries invest in sustainable programs of forest management and nature protection. Our findings are significant for predicting the future of the terrestrial carbon sink. They suggest that the large sink of carbon recently observed in forests of the World will persist, if the well-being of people continues to improve. However, despite the positive trends in domestic forests, developed nations increasingly outsource their biomass needs abroad through international trade, and all nations rely on unsustainable energy use and wasteful patterns of material consumption.

  10. Assessment of the risk of invasion of national forest streams in the Pacific Northwest by farmed Atlantic salmon.

    Treesearch

    Peter A. Bisson

    2006-01-01

    This report describes the evidence for invasion of Pacific Northwest streams by Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) that have escaped from marine salmon farms, and assesses the potential impact of farmed salmon invasion on native fishes inhabiting streams on National Forest System lands. The current risk to streams on National Forest lands in the Pacific Northwest from...

  11. 75 FR 19999 - Public Land Order No. 7739; Extension of Public Land Order No. 6776; Washington

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-16

    ...-Wenatchee National Forest, 215 Melody Lane, Wenatchee, Washington 98801, (509) 664-9262, or Charles R. Roy... Wenatchee National Forest. The United States Forest Service will continue to manage the lands to protect.... Public Land Order No. 6776 (55 FR 14422, (1990)) that withdrew 8,950 acres of National Forest System...

  12. Rehabilitation of fire-damaged forest lands in southwestern Maine

    Treesearch

    A. D. Nutting; James C. Rettie; Wayne G. Banks

    1949-01-01

    Recognizing that it can ill afford the loss of timber productivity on the large acreage of forest land burned over by the 1947 fires, the state of Maine requested assistance of the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station of the United States Forest Service in a program of research that would aid in the rehabilitation of the burned-over forest land.

  13. Forest resources of the Santa Fe National Forest

    Treesearch

    Dana Lambert

    2004-01-01

    The Interior West Forest Inventory and Analysis (IWFIA) program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, as part of its national Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) duties, conducted forest resource inventories of the Southwestern Region (Region 3) National Forests. This report presents highlights of the Santa Fe National Forest 1998...

  14. An enhanced forest classification scheme for modeling vegetation-climate interactions based on national forest inventory data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Majasalmi, Titta; Eisner, Stephanie; Astrup, Rasmus; Fridman, Jonas; Bright, Ryan M.

    2018-01-01

    Forest management affects the distribution of tree species and the age class of a forest, shaping its overall structure and functioning and in turn the surface-atmosphere exchanges of mass, energy, and momentum. In order to attribute climate effects to anthropogenic activities like forest management, good accounts of forest structure are necessary. Here, using Fennoscandia as a case study, we make use of Fennoscandic National Forest Inventory (NFI) data to systematically classify forest cover into groups of similar aboveground forest structure. An enhanced forest classification scheme and related lookup table (LUT) of key forest structural attributes (i.e., maximum growing season leaf area index (LAImax), basal-area-weighted mean tree height, tree crown length, and total stem volume) was developed, and the classification was applied for multisource NFI (MS-NFI) maps from Norway, Sweden, and Finland. To provide a complete surface representation, our product was integrated with the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative Land Cover (ESA CCI LC) map of present day land cover (v.2.0.7). Comparison of the ESA LC and our enhanced LC products (https://doi.org/10.21350/7zZEy5w3) showed that forest extent notably (κ = 0.55, accuracy 0.64) differed between the two products. To demonstrate the potential of our enhanced LC product to improve the description of the maximum growing season LAI (LAImax) of managed forests in Fennoscandia, we compared our LAImax map with reference LAImax maps created using the ESA LC product (and related cross-walking table) and PFT-dependent LAImax values used in three leading land models. Comparison of the LAImax maps showed that our product provides a spatially more realistic description of LAImax in managed Fennoscandian forests compared to reference maps. This study presents an approach to account for the transient nature of forest structural attributes due to human

  15. Land Cover Change in Colombia: Surprising Forest Recovery Trends between 2001 and 2010

    PubMed Central

    Sánchez-Cuervo, Ana María; Aide, T. Mitchell; Clark, Matthew L.; Etter, Andrés

    2012-01-01

    Background Monitoring land change at multiple spatial scales is essential for identifying hotspots of change, and for developing and implementing policies for conserving biodiversity and habitats. In the high diversity country of Colombia, these types of analyses are difficult because there is no consistent wall-to-wall, multi-temporal dataset for land-use and land-cover change. Methodology/Principal Findings To address this problem, we mapped annual land-use and land-cover from 2001 to 2010 in Colombia using MODIS (250 m) products coupled with reference data from high spatial resolution imagery (QuickBird) in Google Earth. We used QuickBird imagery to visually interpret percent cover of eight land cover classes used for classifier training and accuracy assessment. Based on these maps we evaluated land cover change at four spatial scales country, biome, ecoregion, and municipality. Of the 1,117 municipalities, 820 had a net gain in woody vegetation (28,092 km2) while 264 had a net loss (11,129 km2), which resulted in a net gain of 16,963 km2 in woody vegetation at the national scale. Woody regrowth mainly occurred in areas previously classified as mixed woody/plantation rather than agriculture/herbaceous. The majority of this gain occurred in the Moist Forest biome, within the montane forest ecoregions, while the greatest loss of woody vegetation occurred in the Llanos and Apure-Villavicencio ecoregions. Conclusions The unexpected forest recovery trend, particularly in the Andes, provides an opportunity to expand current protected areas and to promote habitat connectivity. Furthermore, ecoregions with intense land conversion (e.g. Northern Andean Páramo) and ecoregions under-represented in the protected area network (e.g. Llanos, Apure-Villavicencio Dry forest, and Magdalena-Urabá Moist forest ecoregions) should be considered for new protected areas. PMID:22952816

  16. 76 FR 315 - Sisters Ranger District; Deschutes National Forest; Oregon; Popper Vegetation Management Project

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-04

    ... would be located on National Forest System lands south of the city of Sisters, Oregon; east of the Three... acre Cascade Timberlands property which is being considered as a future Community Forest. The legal...

  17. A 30-meter spatial database for the nation's forests

    Treesearch

    Raymond L. Czaplewski

    2002-01-01

    The FIA vision for remote sensing originated in 1992 with the Blue Ribbon Panel on FIA, and it has since evolved into an ambitious performance target for 2003. FIA is joining a consortium of Federal agencies to map the Nation's land cover. FIA field data will help produce a seamless, standardized, national geospatial database for forests at the scale of 30-m...

  18. A Pilot Sampling Design for Estimating Outdoor Recreation Site Visits on the National Forests

    Treesearch

    Stanley J. Zarnoch; S.M. Kocis; H. Ken Cordell; D.B.K. English

    2002-01-01

    A pilot sampling design is described for estimating site visits to National Forest System lands. The three-stage sampling design consisted of national forest ranger districts, site days within ranger districts, and last-exiting recreation visitors within site days. Stratification was used at both the primary and secondary stages. Ranger districts were stratified based...

  19. Tropical forests were the primary sources of new agricultural land in the 1980s and 1990s.

    PubMed

    Gibbs, H K; Ruesch, A S; Achard, F; Clayton, M K; Holmgren, P; Ramankutty, N; Foley, J A

    2010-09-21

    Global demand for agricultural products such as food, feed, and fuel is now a major driver of cropland and pasture expansion across much of the developing world. Whether these new agricultural lands replace forests, degraded forests, or grasslands greatly influences the environmental consequences of expansion. Although the general pattern is known, there still is no definitive quantification of these land-cover changes. Here we analyze the rich, pan-tropical database of classified Landsat scenes created by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations to examine pathways of agricultural expansion across the major tropical forest regions in the 1980s and 1990s and use this information to highlight the future land conversions that probably will be needed to meet mounting demand for agricultural products. Across the tropics, we find that between 1980 and 2000 more than 55% of new agricultural land came at the expense of intact forests, and another 28% came from disturbed forests. This study underscores the potential consequences of unabated agricultural expansion for forest conservation and carbon emissions.

  20. Forest resources of the Medicine Bow National Forest

    Treesearch

    Jim Steed

    2008-01-01

    The Interior West Forest Inventory and Analysis (IWFIA) Program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, as part of our National Forest System cooperative inventories, conducted a forest resource inventory on the Medicine Bow National Forest using a nationally standardized mapped-plot design (for more details see "Inventory methods"...

  1. Red maple (Acer rubrum) response to prescribed burning on the William B. Bankhead National Forest, Alabama

    Treesearch

    Stacy L. Clark; Callie J. Schweitzer

    2009-01-01

    Prescribed burning is part of Land and Resource Management Plans on National Forest System lands throughout the southeastern United States, and is sometimes implemented to achieve a desired future condition of oak-dominated forest or woodland habitat. However, effects of burning on oak (Quercus spp.) competitors, such as red maple (Acer...

  2. Forest dynamics in the U.S. indicate disproportionate attrition in western forests, rural areas and public lands

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Forests are experiencing significant changes; studying geographic patterns in forests is critical in understanding the impact of forest dynamics to biodiversity, soil erosion, water chemistry and climate. Few studies have examined forest geographic pattern changes other than fragmentation; however, other spatial processes of forest dynamics are of equal importance. Here, we study forest attrition, the complete removal of forest patches, that can result in complete habitat loss, severe decline of population sizes and species richness, and shifts of local and regional environmental conditions. We aim to develop a simple yet insightful proximity-based spatial indicator capturing forest attrition that is independent of spatial scale and boundaries with worldwide application potential. Using this proximity indicator, we evaluate forest attrition across ecoregions, land ownership and urbanization stratifications across continental United States of America. Nationally, the total forest cover loss was approximately 90,400 km2, roughly the size of the state of Maine, constituting a decline of 2.96%. Examining the spatial arrangement of this change the average FAD was 3674m in 1992 and increased by 514m or 14.0% in 2001. Simulations of forest cover loss indicate only a 10m FAD increase suggesting that the observed FAD increase was more than an order of magnitude higher than expected. Furthermore, forest attrition is considerably higher in the western United States, in rural areas and in public lands. Our mathematical model (R2 = 0.93) supports estimation of attrition for a given forest cover. The FAD metric quantifies forest attrition across spatial scales and geographic boundaries and assesses unambiguously changes over time. The metric is applicable to any landscape and offers a new complementary insight on forest landscape patterns from local to global scales, improving future exploration of drivers and repercussions of forest cover changes and supporting more informative

  3. Forest dynamics in the U.S. indicate disproportionate attrition in western forests, rural areas and public lands.

    PubMed

    Yang, Sheng; Mountrakis, Giorgos

    2017-01-01

    Forests are experiencing significant changes; studying geographic patterns in forests is critical in understanding the impact of forest dynamics to biodiversity, soil erosion, water chemistry and climate. Few studies have examined forest geographic pattern changes other than fragmentation; however, other spatial processes of forest dynamics are of equal importance. Here, we study forest attrition, the complete removal of forest patches, that can result in complete habitat loss, severe decline of population sizes and species richness, and shifts of local and regional environmental conditions. We aim to develop a simple yet insightful proximity-based spatial indicator capturing forest attrition that is independent of spatial scale and boundaries with worldwide application potential. Using this proximity indicator, we evaluate forest attrition across ecoregions, land ownership and urbanization stratifications across continental United States of America. Nationally, the total forest cover loss was approximately 90,400 km2, roughly the size of the state of Maine, constituting a decline of 2.96%. Examining the spatial arrangement of this change the average FAD was 3674m in 1992 and increased by 514m or 14.0% in 2001. Simulations of forest cover loss indicate only a 10m FAD increase suggesting that the observed FAD increase was more than an order of magnitude higher than expected. Furthermore, forest attrition is considerably higher in the western United States, in rural areas and in public lands. Our mathematical model (R2 = 0.93) supports estimation of attrition for a given forest cover. The FAD metric quantifies forest attrition across spatial scales and geographic boundaries and assesses unambiguously changes over time. The metric is applicable to any landscape and offers a new complementary insight on forest landscape patterns from local to global scales, improving future exploration of drivers and repercussions of forest cover changes and supporting more informative

  4. History of forests and land-use

    Treesearch

    Todd F. Hutchinson; Darrin Rubino; Brian C. McCarthy; Elaine Kennedy Sutherland

    2003-01-01

    Oaks (Quercus) have been a dominant component of eastern forests, including the forests of southeastern Ohio, for more than 5,000 years. Prior to Euro-American settlement, written accounts (1700s) described open, park-like forests and the use of fire by Native Americans for hunting and land management. In seven townships encompassing the four study...

  5. Forest resources of the Idaho Panhandle National Forest

    Treesearch

    Joshua C. Holte

    2012-01-01

    The Interior West Forest Inventory and Analysis (IWFIA) Program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, as part of our National Forest System cooperative inventories, conducted a forest resource inventory on the Idaho Panhandle National Forest (IPNF) using a nationally standardized mapped-plot design (for more details see "The inventory...

  6. Forest resources of the Nez Perce National Forest

    Treesearch

    Michele Disney

    2010-01-01

    As part of a National Forest System cooperative inventory, the Interior West Forest Inventory and Analysis (IWFIA) Program of the USDA Forest Service conducted a forest resource inventory on the Nez Perce National Forest using a nationally standardized mapped-plot design (for more details see the section "Inventory methods"). This report presents highlights...

  7. Growth of coast redwood and Douglas-fir following thinning in second-growth forests at Redwood National Park and Headwaters Forest Reserve

    Treesearch

    Phillip J. van Mantgem; Jason R. Teraoka; David H. LaFever; Laura B. Lalemand

    2017-01-01

    Managers of second-growth forests at Redwood National Park and the Bureau of Land Management’s Headwaters Forest Reserve encourage the development of late seral forest characteristics using mechanical thinning, where competing vegetation is removed to promote growth of residual trees. Yet the ability to quantify and reliably predict outcomes of treatments such...

  8. Northwest Forest Plan--the first 10 years (1994-2003): socioeconomic monitoring of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and five local communities.

    Treesearch

    C. Dillingham; M.R. Poe; E. Grinspoon; C. Stuart; C. Moseley; R. Mazza; S. Charnley; L. Meierotto; E. Donoghue; N. Toth

    2008-01-01

    This report examines socioeconomic changes that occurred between 1990 and 2003 associated with implementation of the Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) in and around lands managed by the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in Washington state. Our findings are based on quantitative data from the U.S. census, the USDA Forest Service and other federal databases, historical...

  9. Society's choices: land use changes, forest fragmentation, and conservation.

    Treesearch

    Jonathan Thompson

    2006-01-01

    Changing patterns of land use are at the heart of many environmental concerns regarding U.S. forest lands. Of all the human impacts to forests, development is one of the most significant because of the severity and permanency of the change. Concern about the effects of development on America’s forests has risen sharply since the 1990s, when the conversion of forest...

  10. Forest resources of the Black Hills National Forest

    Treesearch

    Larry T. DeBlander

    2002-01-01

    The Interior West Forest Inventory and Analysis (IWFIA) Program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, as part of our National Forest System cooperative inventories, conducted a forest resource inventory on the Black Hills National Forest using a nationally standardized mapped-plot design (for more details see section "How was the inventory...

  11. To provide for the conveyance of a small parcel of National Forest System land in Los Padres National Forest in California, and for other purposes.

    THOMAS, 113th Congress

    Rep. Capps, Lois [D-CA-24

    2013-08-02

    Senate - 07/30/2014 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Passed HouseHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

  12. Thematic accuracy assessment of the 2011 National Land Cover Database (NLCD)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wickham, James; Stehman, Stephen V.; Gass, Leila; Dewitz, Jon; Sorenson, Daniel G.; Granneman, Brian J.; Poss, Richard V.; Baer, Lori Anne

    2017-01-01

    Accuracy assessment is a standard protocol of National Land Cover Database (NLCD) mapping. Here we report agreement statistics between map and reference labels for NLCD 2011, which includes land cover for ca. 2001, ca. 2006, and ca. 2011. The two main objectives were assessment of agreement between map and reference labels for the three, single-date NLCD land cover products at Level II and Level I of the classification hierarchy, and agreement for 17 land cover change reporting themes based on Level I classes (e.g., forest loss; forest gain; forest, no change) for three change periods (2001–2006, 2006–2011, and 2001–2011). The single-date overall accuracies were 82%, 83%, and 83% at Level II and 88%, 89%, and 89% at Level I for 2011, 2006, and 2001, respectively. Many class-specific user's accuracies met or exceeded a previously established nominal accuracy benchmark of 85%. Overall accuracies for 2006 and 2001 land cover components of NLCD 2011 were approximately 4% higher (at Level II and Level I) than the overall accuracies for the same components of NLCD 2006. The high Level I overall, user's, and producer's accuracies for the single-date eras in NLCD 2011 did not translate into high class-specific user's and producer's accuracies for many of the 17 change reporting themes. User's accuracies were high for the no change reporting themes, commonly exceeding 85%, but were typically much lower for the reporting themes that represented change. Only forest loss, forest gain, and urban gain had user's accuracies that exceeded 70%. Lower user's accuracies for the other change reporting themes may be attributable to the difficulty in determining the context of grass (e.g., open urban, grassland, agriculture) and between the components of the forest-shrubland-grassland gradient at either the mapping phase, reference label assignment phase, or both. NLCD 2011 user's accuracies for forest loss, forest gain, and urban gain compare favorably with results from other

  13. Microscale photo interpretation of forest and nonforest land classes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Aldrich, R. C.; Greentree, W. J.

    1972-01-01

    Remote sensing of forest and nonforest land classes are discussed, using microscale photointerpretation. Results include: (1.) Microscale IR color photography can be interpreted within reasonable limits of error to estimate forest area. (2.) Forest interpretation is best on winter photography with 97 percent or better accuracy. (3.) Broad forest types can be classified on microscale photography. (4.) Active agricultural land is classified most accurately on early summer photography. (5.) Six percent of all nonforest observations were misclassified as forest.

  14. Reserved and roadless forests

    Treesearch

    David Azuma; James Menlove; Andrew Gray

    2009-01-01

    Some 74 million acres of forest land, or 10 percent of all U.S. forest land, are permanently reserved from wood product utilization through statute or administrative designation. A large part of these lands is in wilderness areas, national parks, and national monuments. Although the primary reason for protecting many of the areas is not preservation of forest...

  15. Outlook on forest service lands

    Treesearch

    H. Ken Cordell; Floyd Thompson

    2002-01-01

    In the world, and in the United States there is growing concern about the future of natural land and water, including forests. A part of this concern is to assure a continued source of opportunity for outdoor recreation and forest-based tourism. In 1994, 12 countries assembled to conceptualize a set of indicators for monitoring the conservation and sustainable...

  16. The Influence of Proximity to a National Forest on Emotions and Fire-Management Decisions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vining, Joanne; Merrick, Melinda S.

    2008-02-01

    Because American national forests are managed for all citizens, it is important that researchers explore the differences and similarities between citizens living both near and far from publicly managed land. We surveyed residents living at various distances from nationally managed land to collect resident perceptions of different forest fire-management techniques, to determine public preferences for these techniques, and to examine the motivations behind these preferences. Participants both close to and far away from national forests tended to favor a multipronged approach to fire management by preferring the use of a combination of two or more fire-management techniques. There were no significant differences by proximity in participants’ self-rated emotions, types of fire-management techniques preferred, or the reasons and rationales for their preferred fire-management technique(s), indicating that the proximity variable may not be as significant as previously thought.

  17. The influence of proximity to a national forest on emotions and fire-management decisions.

    PubMed

    Vining, Joanne; Merrick, Melinda S

    2008-02-01

    Because American national forests are managed for all citizens, it is important that researchers explore the differences and similarities between citizens living both near and far from publicly managed land. We surveyed residents living at various distances from nationally managed land to collect resident perceptions of different forest fire-management techniques, to determine public preferences for these techniques, and to examine the motivations behind these preferences. Participants both close to and far away from national forests tended to favor a multipronged approach to fire management by preferring the use of a combination of two or more fire-management techniques. There were no significant differences by proximity in participants' self-rated emotions, types of fire-management techniques preferred, or the reasons and rationales for their preferred fire-management technique(s), indicating that the proximity variable may not be as significant as previously thought.

  18. Annual Forest Monitoring as part of Indonesia's National Carbon Accounting System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kustiyo, K.; Roswintiarti, O.; Tjahjaningsih, A.; Dewanti, R.; Furby, S.; Wallace, J.

    2015-04-01

    Land use and forest change, in particular deforestation, have contributed the largest proportion of Indonesia's estimated greenhouse gas emissions. Indonesia's remaining forests store globally significant carbon stocks, as well as biodiversity values. In 2010, the Government of Indonesia entered into a REDD+ partnership. A spatially detailed monitoring and reporting system for forest change which is national and operating in Indonesia is required for participation in such programs, as well as for national policy reasons including Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV), carbon accounting, and land-use and policy information. Indonesia's National Carbon Accounting System (INCAS) has been designed to meet national and international policy requirements. The INCAS remote sensing program is producing spatially-detailed annual wall-to-wall monitoring of forest cover changes from time-series Landsat imagery for the whole of Indonesia from 2000 to the present day. Work on the program commenced in 2009, under the Indonesia-Australia Forest Carbon Partnership. A principal objective was to build an operational system in Indonesia through transfer of knowledge and experience, from Australia's National Carbon Accounting System, and adaptation of this experience to Indonesia's requirements and conditions. A semi-automated system of image pre-processing (ortho-rectification, calibration, cloud masking and mosaicing) and forest extent and change mapping (supervised classification of a 'base' year, semi-automated single-year classifications and classification within a multi-temporal probabilistic framework) was developed for Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 7 ETM+. Particular attention is paid to the accuracy of each step in the processing. With the advent of Landsat 8 data and parallel development of processing capability, capacity and international collaborations within the LAPAN Data Centre this processing is being increasingly automated. Research is continuing into improved

  19. Effects of all-terrain vehicles on forested lands and grasslands

    Treesearch

    Dexter Meadows; Randy Foltz; Nancy Geehan

    2008-01-01

    As the United States population has grown, so has all-terrain-vehicle (ATV) use on national forests and grasslands and other public lands. Annual sales of ATVs have increased over 272 percent since 1994 to an estimated 876,000 units in 2005 (Specialty Vehicle Institute of America - Special Report Summer 2006). ATVs are a popular choice for outdoor recreation. According...

  20. Modeling fuel treatment costs on Forest Service Lands in the Western United States

    Treesearch

    David Calkin; Krista Gebert

    2006-01-01

    Years of successful fire suppression have led to high fuel loads on the nation's forests, and steps are being taken by the nation's land management agencies to reduce these fuel loads. However, to achieve desired outcomes in a fiscally responsible manner, the cost and effectiveness in reducing losses due to wildland fire of different fuel treatments in...

  1. Timber supply and demand assessment of the Green and White Mountain National Forests' market area

    Treesearch

    Chris B. LeDoux; Paul E. Sendak; William H. McWilliams; Neil Huyler; Thomas Malecek; Worthen Muzzey; Toni Jones

    2001-01-01

    This report describes a timber supply and demand assessment of the Green and White Mountain National Forests' market area using USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis data, production information provided by forest industry, and a stump-to-mill logging cost-prediction model. Nonavailable timberland that includes reserve and steep-terrain lands is...

  2. National Land Cover Database 2001 (NLCD01)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    LaMotte, Andrew E.

    2016-01-01

    This 30-meter data set represents land use and land cover for the conterminous United States for the 2001 time period. The data have been arranged into four tiles to facilitate timely display and manipulation within a Geographic Information System (see http://water.usgs.gov/GIS/browse/nlcd01-partition.jpg). The National Land Cover Data Set for 2001 was produced through a cooperative project conducted by the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) Consortium. The MRLC Consortium is a partnership of Federal agencies (http://www.mrlc.gov), consisting of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the National Park Service (NPS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). One of the primary goals of the project is to generate a current, consistent, seamless, and accurate National Land Cover Database (NLCD) circa 2001 for the United States at medium spatial resolution. For a detailed definition and discussion on MRLC and the NLCD 2001 products, refer to Homer and others (2004), (see: http://www.mrlc.gov/mrlc2k.asp). The NLCD 2001 was created by partitioning the United States into mapping zones. A total of 68 mapping zones (see http://water.usgs.gov/GIS/browse/nlcd01-mappingzones.jpg), were delineated within the conterminous United States based on ecoregion and geographical characteristics, edge-matching features, and the size requirement of Landsat mosaics. Mapping zones encompass the whole or parts of several states. Questions about the NLCD mapping zones can be directed to the NLCD 2001 Land Cover Mapping Team at the USGS/EROS, Sioux Falls, SD (605) 594-6151 or mrlc@usgs.gov.

  3. Surface water data and geographic relation to Tertiary age intrusions and hydrothermal alteration in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) and intervening Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bove, Dana J.; Knepper, Daniel H.

    2000-01-01

    This data set covering the western part of Colorado includes water quality data from eight different sources (points), nine U.S. Geological Survey Digital Raster Graph (DRG) files for topographic bases, a compilation of Tertiary age intrusions (polygons and lines), and two geotiff files showing areas of hydrothermally altered rock. These data were compiled for use with an ongoing mineral resource assessment of theGrand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) and intervening Bureau of Land Management(BLM) lands. This compilation was assembled to give federal land managers a preliminary view of water within sub-basinal areas, and to show possible relationships to Tertiary age intrusion and areas of hydrothermal alteration.

  4. Forest tenure and sustainable forest management

    Treesearch

    J.P. Siry; K. McGinley; F.W. Cubbage; P. Bettinger

    2015-01-01

    We reviewed the principles and key literature related to forest tenure and sustainable forest management, and then examined the status of sustainable forestry and land ownership at the aggregate national level for major forested countries. The institutional design principles suggested by Ostrom are well accepted for applications to public, communal, and private lands....

  5. A non-parametric, supervised classification of vegetation types on the Kaibab National Forest using decision trees

    Treesearch

    Suzanne M. Joy; R. M. Reich; Richard T. Reynolds

    2003-01-01

    Traditional land classification techniques for large areas that use Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery are typically limited to the fixed spatial resolution of the sensors (30m). However, the study of some ecological processes requires land cover classifications at finer spatial resolutions. We model forest vegetation types on the Kaibab National Forest (KNF) in...

  6. A spatial database for restoration management capability on national forests in the Pacific Northwest USA

    Treesearch

    Chris Ringo; Alan A. Ager; Michelle A. Day; Sarah Crim

    2016-01-01

    Understanding the capacity to reduce wildfire risk and restore dry forests on Western national forests is a key part of prioritizing new accelerated restoration programs initiated by the Forest Service. Although a number of social and biophysical factors influence the ability to implement restoration programs, one key driver is the suite of forest plan land...

  7. Forest resources of the Forest resources of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest

    Treesearch

    Paul Rogers

    2008-01-01

    The Interior West Forest Inventory and Analysis (IWFIA) program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, as part of its national Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) duties, conducted forest resource inventories of the Southwestern Region (Region 3) National Forests. This report presents highlights of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest...

  8. Does land use planning slow the conversion of forest and farm lands?

    Treesearch

    Jeffrey D. Kline; Ralph J. Alig

    1999-01-01

    Land use planning often is implemented to control development on forests and farmland, but its impact on land use remains untested. Previous studies evaluating such programs have relied on anecdotal evidence rather than on data describing actual land use change. A model of land use is specified as a function of socioeconomic factors, land rent, and landowners'...

  9. Effectiveness of the forest stewardship program in conserving natural resources on private lands in Indiana

    Treesearch

    Andriy V. Zhalnin; Shorna R. Broussard; Richard L. Farnsworth

    2008-01-01

    Forest ecosystems are a dominant component of the nation's landscape but are a challenge to manage because of diverse ownership and policy objectives. Privately owned, nonindustrial lands comprise nearly half of all forests in the United States (42 percent); nearly 10.3 million citizens own 393 million acres. A number of landowner assistance programs are designed...

  10. Summary and findings of the 2006 BLM Forest Lands Report

    Treesearch

    Tim Bottomley; Jim Menlove

    2009-01-01

    In 2006, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) contracted with the Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis Program (FIA) to assist in the preparation of a report specific to all forest lands under the administration of the BLM. The BLM requested that the FIA provide information on the extent and general conditions of BLM- managed forests and woodlands, within...

  11. Evaluating forest land development effects on private forestry in eastern Oregon.

    Treesearch

    Jeffrey D. Kline; David L. Azuma

    2007-01-01

    Research suggests that forest land development can reduce the productivity of remaining forest land because private forest owners reduce their investments in forest management. We developed empirical models describing forest stocking, thinning, harvest, and postharvest tree planting in eastern Oregon, as functions of stand and site characteristics, ownership, and...

  12. 36 CFR 213.2 - Authority for Chief, Forest Service, to group, define, and name national grasslands.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Authority for Chief, Forest Service, to group, define, and name national grasslands. 213.2 Section 213.2 Parks, Forests, and Public Property FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ADMINISTRATION OF LANDS UNDER TITLE III OF THE BANKHEAD...

  13. Contribution of Near Real Time MODIS-Based Forest Disturbance Detection Products to a National Forest Threat Early Warning System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spruce, Joseph; Hargrove, William; Gasser, Gerald; Smoot, James; Kuper, Philip

    2011-01-01

    U.S. forests occupy approx. 751 million acres (approx. 1/3 of total land). These forests are exposed to multiple biotic and abiotic threats that collectively damage extensive acreages each year. Hazardous forest disturbances can threaten human life and property, bio-diversity and water supplies. Timely regional forest monitoring products are needed to aid forest management and decision making by the US Forest Service and its state and private partners. Daily MODIS data products provide a means to monitor regional forest disturbances on a weekly basis. In response, we began work in 2006 to develop a Near Real Time (NRT) forest monitoring capability, based on MODIS NDVI data, as part of a national forest threat early warning system (EWS)

  14. Cadastre (forest maps) and spatial land uses planning, strategic tool for sustainable development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Drosos, Vasileios C.

    2014-08-01

    The rise in the living standards of the Greeks created, especially since 1970, along with other needs and the need for second or holiday home since 1990 after finding the first house on the outskirts of large urban centers. Trying to find land for the creation of new resorts or new type of permanent residences (maisonettes with or without garden, depending on the financial position of each) had the painful consequence of wasteful and uncontrolled use of land, without a program, without the fundamental rules of land planning and the final creation was usually unsightly buildings. The costs were to pay as usually the forest rural lands. The national spatial planning of land use requires that we know the existing land uses in this country, and based on that we can design and decide their land uses on the future in a rational way. On final practical level, this planning leads to mark the boundaries of specific areas of land that are permitted and may change uses. For this reason, one of the most valuable "tools" of that final marking the boundaries is also the forest maps. The paper aims the investigation to determine the modern views on the issues of Cadastre and Land Management with an ulterior view to placing the bases for creating a building plan of an immediate completion of forest maps. Sustainable development as a term denoting a policy of continued economic and social development that does not involve the destruction of the environment and natural resources, but rather guarantees their rational viability.

  15. Vegetation Analysis and Land Use Land Cover Classification of Forest in Uttara Kannada District India Through Geo-Informatics Approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Koppad, A. G.; Janagoudar, B. S.

    2017-05-01

    The study was conducted in Uttara Kannada districts during the year 2012-2014. The study area lies between 13.92° N to 15.52° N latitude and 74.08° E to 75.09° E longitude with an area of 10,215 km2. The Indian satellite IRS P6 LISS-III imageries were used to classify the land use land cover classes with ground truth data collected with GPS through supervised classification in ERDAS software. The land use and land cover classes identified were dense forest, horticulture plantation, sparse forest, forest plantation, open land and agriculture land. The dense forest covered an area of 63.32 % (6468.70 sq km) followed by agriculture 12.88 % (1315.31 sq. km), sparse forest 10.59 % (1081.37 sq. km), open land 6.09 % (622.37 sq. km), horticulture plantation and least was forest plantation (1.07 %). Settlement, stony land and water body together cover about 4.26 percent of the area. The study indicated that the aspect and altitude influenced the forest types and vegetation pattern. The NDVI map was prepared which indicated that healthy vegetation is represented by high NDVI values between 0.1 and 1. The non-vegetated features such as water bodies, settlement, and stony land indicated less than 0.1 values. The decrease in forest area in some places was due to anthropogenic activities. The thematic map of land use land cover classes was prepared using Arc GIS Software.

  16. Studying the effects of land use on sediment loads, Little Missouri National Grasslands, North Dakota

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Macek-Rowland, Kathleen M.

    2002-01-01

    The Little Missouri National Grasslands in North Dakota were established in 1960 and are publicly owned lands administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service. The grasslands are not solid blocks of National Forest Systems lands but are lands intermingled with other Federal, State, and privately-owned lands. The mixed-ownership pattern creates a unique environmental management arrangement within each grasslands area.The USDA Forest Service needs to determine how changes in land use affect loss of sediment from the grasslands, especially during periods of high runoff or after a grassland fire. Excessive sediment loss has the potential to destabilize hillslopes and channels by increasing runoff potential, by prohibiting natural revegetation, by changing animal habitation patterns, and by impacting areas farther downslope and downstream of affected areas.On October 31, 1999, two major grass-land fires occurred in the Little Missouri National Grasslands area. The Squaw Gap Fire affected 51,627 acres and the Rough Creek Fire affected 7,979 acres. Runoff caused substantial erosion when many road ditches and culverts were filled with sediment and some roads were washed out. In order to implement the best management practices within the Little Missouri National Grasslands, the USDA Forest Service will need sediment information related to land-use changes such as burned and unburned areas and grazed and ungrazed areas.The Little Missouri National Grasslands are located along the Little Missouri River in western North Dakota. The Grasslands are comprised of 1,028,000 acres predominantly in an area of rolling hills, sparsely covered buttes, coulees, woody draws, and badlands. Most of the area is used as rangeland; but, some of the area is cultivated or used for oil and gas development. The Grasslands have semiarid climate with short, warm summers and long, cold winters. The Grasslands receive an average annual precipitation of about 13 to 15 inches

  17. Deconstructing the timber volume paradigm in management of the Tongass National Forest.

    Treesearch

    John P. Caouette; Marc G. Kramer; Gregory J. Nowacki

    2000-01-01

    Timber volume information and associated maps have been widely used in the Tongass National Forest for land-use planning and timber and wildlife management. Although considerable effort has been expended to improve timber volume maps, little has been done to evaluate the suitability of timber volume as a descriptor of forest character.We established a rough indicator...

  18. El Yunque National Forest Atlas

    Treesearch

    Maya Quiñones; Isabel K. Parés-Ramos; William A. Gould; Grizelle Gonzalez; Kathleen McGinley; Pedro Ríos

    2018-01-01

    El Yunque National Forest Atlas is a collaborative effort by the International Institute of Tropical Forestry and El Yunque National Forest to provide upto-date maps and analyses of spatial information of an important natural reserve in Puerto Rico and the only tropical forest in the National Forest System of the United States. El Yunque National Forest Atlas serves as...

  19. Conceptualizing and measuring demand for recreation on national forests: a review and synthesis.

    Treesearch

    Brian E. Garber-Yonts

    2005-01-01

    This analysis examines the problem of measuring demand for recreation on national forests and other public lands. Current measures of recreation demand in Forest Service resource assessments and planning emphasize population-level participation rates and activity-based economic values for visitor days. Alternative measures and definitions of recreation demand are...

  20. Threats to private forest lands in the U.S.A.: a forests on the edge study

    Treesearch

    Mark H. Hatfield; Ronald E. McRoberts; Dacia M. Meneguzzo; Sara Comas

    2010-01-01

    The Forests on the Edge project, sponsored by the USDA Forest Service, uses geographic information systems to construct and analyze maps depicting threats to the contributions of America’s private forest lands. For this study, watersheds across the conterminous United States are evaluated with respect to the amount of their private forest land. Watersheds with at least...

  1. The forest-land owners of Ohio -- 1979

    Treesearch

    Thomas W. Birch; Thomas W. Birch

    1982-01-01

    A statistical analytical report on a mail canvass of private commercial forest-land owners in Ohio. The study was conducted in conjunction with the third forest survey of Ohio by the USDA Forest Service. It discusses landowner characteristics, attitudes, and intentions of owners regarding reasons for owning, recreational use, timber management, and harvesting.

  2. Monitoring forest land from high altitude and from space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1972-01-01

    The significant findings are reported for remote sensing of forest lands conducted during the period October 1, 1965 to December 31, 1972. Forest inventory research included the use of aircraft and space imagery for forest and nonforest land classification, and land use classification by automated procedures, multispectral scanning, and computerized mapping. Forest stress studies involved previsual detection of ponderosa pine under stress from insects and disease, bark bettle infestations in the Black Hills, and root disease impacts on forest stands. Standardization and calibration studies were made to develop a field test of an ERTS-matched four-channel spectrometer. Calibration of focal plane shutters and mathematical modeling of film characteristic curves were also studied. Documents published as a result of all forestry studies funded by NASA for the Earth Resources Survey Program from 1965 through 1972 are listed.

  3. Northwest Forest Plan--the first 10 years (1994-2003): socioeconomic monitoring of the Klamath National Forest and three local communities.

    Treesearch

    Susan Charnley; Candace Dillingham; Claudia Stuart; Cassandra Moseley; Ellen. Donoghue

    2008-01-01

    This report examines socioeconomic changes that took place between 1990 and 2003 on and around lands managed by the Klamath National Forest in California to assess the effects of the Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) on rural economies and communities there. Three case communities were studied: Scott Valley, Butte Valley, and Mid-Klamath. The report characterizes the...

  4. Using Land Surface Phenology as the Basis for a National Early Warning System for Forest Disturbances

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hargrove, W. W.; Spruce, J.; Norman, S. P.; Hoffman, F. M.

    2011-12-01

    The National Early Warning System (EWS) provides an 8-day coast-to-coast snapshot of potentially disturbed forests across the U.S.. A prototype system has produced national maps of potential forest disturbances every eight days since January 2010, identifying locations that may require further investigation. Through phenology, the system shows both early and delayed vegetation development and detects all types of unexpected forest disturbances, including insects, disease, wildfires, frost and ice damage, tornadoes, hurricanes, blowdowns, harvest, urbanization, landslides, drought, flood, and climate change. The USDA Forest Service Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center is collaborating with NASA Stennis Space Center and the Western Wildland Environmental Threat Assessment Center to develop the tool. The EWS uses differences in phenological responses between an expectation based on historical data and a current view to strategically identify potential forest disturbances and direct attention to locations where forest behavior seems unusual. Disturbance maps are available via the Forest Change Assessment Viewer (FCAV) (http://ews.forestthreats.org/gis), which allows resource managers and other users to see the most current national disturbance maps as soon as they are available. Phenology-based detections show not only vegetation disturbances in the classical sense, but all departures from normal seasonal vegetation behavior. In 2010, the EWS detected a repeated late-frost event at high elevations in North Carolina, USA, that resulted in delayed seasonal development, contrasting with an early spring development at lower elevations, all within close geographic proximity. Throughout 2011, there was a high degree of correspondence between the National Climatic Data Center's North American Drought Monitor maps and EWS maps of phenological drought disturbance in forests. Urban forests showed earlier and more severe phenological drought disturbance than

  5. Adapting to climate change at Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Halofsky, Jessica E.; Peterson, David L.; O'Halloran, Kathy A.; Hoffman, Catherine H.

    2011-01-01

    Climate change presents a major challenge to natural resource managers both because of the magnitude of potential effects of climate change on ecosystem structure, processes, and function, and because of the uncertainty associated with those potential ecological effects. Concrete ways to adapt to climate change are needed to help natural resource managers take the first steps to incorporate climate change into management and take advantage of opportunities to counteract the negative effects of climate change. We began a climate change adaptation case study at Olympic National Forest (ONF) in partnership with Olympic National Park (ONP) to determine how to adapt management of federal lands on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, to climate change. The case study began in the summer of 2008 and continued for 1½ years. The case study process involved science-based sensitivity assessments, review of management activities and constraints, and adaptation workshops in each of four focus areas (hydrology and roads, fish, vegetation, and wildlife). The process produced adaptation options for ONF and ONP, and illustrated the utility of place-based vulnerability assessment and science-management workshops in adapting to climate change. The case study process provides an example for other national forests, national parks, and natural resource agencies of how federal land management units can collaborate in the initial stages of climate change adaptation. Many of the ideas generated through this process can potentially be applied in other locations and in other agencies

  6. 75 FR 57061 - Public Land Order No. 7749; Extension of Public Land Order Nos. 6801 and 6812; Arizona

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-17

    ... National Forest System lands from location or entry under the United States mining laws (30 U.S.C. chapter... Service Coronado National Forest Office, Federal Building, 300 West Congress Street, Tucson, Arizona 85701.... Public Land Order No. 6801 (55 FR 38550, (1990)) that withdrew 61.356 acres of National Forest System...

  7. Forest-land owners of New Hampshire, 1983

    Treesearch

    Thomas W. Birch; Thomas W. Birch

    1989-01-01

    A statistical analytical report on a mail canvass of private timberland owners in New Hampshire. The study was conducted in conjunction with the forest survey of New Hampshire by the USDA Forest Service. It discusses forest-land owner characteristics, attitudes, and intentions of owners regarding reasons for owning, recreational use, timber management, and timber...

  8. Forest resources of South Carolina's national forests, 2001

    Treesearch

    Sonja N. Oswalt

    2005-01-01

    This bulletin describes forest resources of the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests in the State of South Carolina. It is based on sampling from the eighth forest inventory conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis Research Work Unit. Findings suggest that South Carolina’s national...

  9. Spatial patterns of land cover in the United States: a technical document supporting the Forest Service 2010 RPA Assessment

    Treesearch

    Kurt H. Riitters

    2011-01-01

    Land cover patterns inventoried from a national land cover map provide information about the landscape context and fragmentation of the Nation’s forests, grasslands, and shrublands. This inventory is required to quantify, map, and evaluate the capacities of landscapes to provide ecological goods and services sustainably. This report documents the procedures to...

  10. Spatially explicit modeling of 1992-2100 land cover and forest stand age for the conterminous United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sohl, Terry L.; Sayler, Kristi L.; Bouchard, Michelle; Reker, Ryan R.; Friesz, Aaron M.; Bennett, Stacie L.; Sleeter, Benjamin M.; Sleeter, Rachel R.; Wilson, Tamara; Soulard, Christopher E.; Knuppe, Michelle; Van Hofwegen, Travis

    2014-01-01

    Information on future land-use and land-cover (LULC) change is needed to analyze the impact of LULC change on ecological processes. The U.S. Geological Survey has produced spatially explicit, thematically detailed LULC projections for the conterminous United States. Four qualitative and quantitative scenarios of LULC change were developed, with characteristics consistent with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on 5 Emission Scenarios (SRES). The four quantified scenarios (A1B, A2, B1, and B2) served as input to the Forecasting Scenarios of Land-use Change (FORE-SCE) model. Four spatially explicit datasets consistent with scenario storylines were produced for the conterminous United States, with annual LULC maps from 1992 through 2100. The future projections are characterized by a loss of natural land covers in most scenarios, with corresponding expansion of 10 anthropogenic land uses. Along with the loss of natural land covers, remaining natural land covers experience increased fragmentation under most scenarios, with only the B2 scenario remaining relatively stable in both proportion of remaining natural land covers and basic fragmentation measures. Forest stand age was also modeled. By 2100, scenarios and ecoregions with heavy forest cutting have relatively lower mean stand ages compared to those with less 15 forest cutting. Stand ages differ substantially between unprotected and protected forest lands, as well as between different forest classes. The modeled data were compared to the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) and other data sources to assess model characteristics. The consistent, spatially explicit, and thematically detailed LULC projections and the associated forest stand age data layers have been used to analyze LULC impacts on carbon and greenhouse gas fluxes, 20 biodiversity, climate and weather variability, hydrologic change, and other ecological processes.

  11. Forest resources of the Bitterroot National Forest

    Treesearch

    Tracey S. Frescino

    2008-01-01

    The Interior West Resource Inventory, Monitoring, and Evaluation (IWRIME) Program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station (formerly the Intermountain Research Station), as part of its national Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) duties, entered into a cooperative agreement with the Northern Region for the inventory of the National Forests...

  12. The forest-land owners of Pennsylvania

    Treesearch

    Thomas W. Birch; Donald F. Dennis

    1980-01-01

    Seventy-eight percent of Pennsylvania's 15.9 million acres of commercial forest land is in the hands of 490,100 private owners. Landowner information is, therefore, an essential component in obtaining a thorough understanding of Pennsylvania's forest resources. Eighty-six percent of these owners are individuals. A large majority, 63 percent of these owners,...

  13. Evaluating land-use and private forest management responses to a potential forest carbon offset sales program in western Oregon (USA)

    Treesearch

    Gregory S. Latta; Darius M. Adams; Kathleen P. Bell; Jeff Kline

    2016-01-01

    We describe the use of linked land-use and forest sector models to simulate the effects of carbon offset sales on private forest owners' land-use and forest management decisions inwestern Oregon (USA). Our work focuses on forest management decisions rather than afforestation, allows full forest sector price adjustment to land-use changes, and incorporates time-...

  14. Emerging forests on abandoned land: Puerto Rico’s new forests

    Treesearch

    Ariel E. Lugo; Eileen Helmer

    2004-01-01

    The species composition of forests change continuously as the earth’s biota evolves and adjusts to environmental change. Humans are accelerating the rate of species turnover by moving species around the planet and dramatically changing environmental conditions. Our focus is on new forests in Puerto Rico that emerge naturally on abandoned lands previously converted to...

  15. A United States view on changes in land use and land values affecting sustainable forest management.

    Treesearch

    R.J. Alig

    2007-01-01

    With increasing opportunity costs of keeping land in forests because of increasing values for other land uses, such as for developed uses, forest ownership may become less attractive for some landowners and the return on investment less viable for both private and public landowners. This raises the question of what will become of the forests and the resources the...

  16. Current challenges and realities for forest-based businesses adjacent to public lands in the United States

    Treesearch

    Emily J. Davis; Jesse Abrams; Eric M. White; Cassandra Moseley

    2018-01-01

    Through contracting and timber sales, the private sector is engaged in management of national forest lands and local community economies in the United States. But there is little recent research about current relationships between these lands and timber purchasers that could better inform future timber and biomass sale and business assistance policies and programs. We...

  17. Postfire Forest Recovery in California's National Forests

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Welch, K.; Young, T.; Safford, H.

    2012-12-01

    Due to fire suppression policies and other management practices over the last century, many low- to mid-elevation forest types in the Sierra Nevada have accumulated high fuel loads that promote stand-replacing high-intensity fires. Current and future projected trends in climate are predicted to increase the occurrence of such fires. We established over 1,000 plots in a range of elevations, environments, forest types, climate zones and fire severity classes to provide insight into the factors that promote natural tree regeneration after wildfires, the limiting factors in species establishment, and the differences in post-fire responses of conifers and hardwoods. We employed a standardized protocol that measured site characteristics, seedling densities, and woody plant growth. Preliminary results reveal that fire severity generally has a unimodal relationship with rates of natural regeneration, although effects of site and local environment act to modulate the shape of the relationship. Above low to moderate severities, natural regeneration rates of all tree species decrease with increasing severity, possibly due to a combination of factors including seed mortality, increasing distance to the nearest living seed tree, and more severe microclimatic conditions. Though hardwoods (oaks) are able to both seed and resprout from top-killed root crowns in a postfire environment, conifers still have the numerical advantage over hardwoods through seeding alone. We did not find evidence that shrubs have a strong either facilitative or competitive effect on conifer seedling establishment or growth in the first five years of forest recovery. Understanding forest recovery and regeneration processes after high severity fires is critical to appropriately applying management strategies on National Forest lands.

  18. 76 FR 48120 - Black Hills National Forest, Custer, SD-Mountain Pine Beetle Response Project

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-08

    ... scope of direction provided in the Revised Land and Resource Management Plan for the Black Hills National Forest, as amended. DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received by... lands. Proposal The primary management tools for reducing beetle-caused tree mortality are removing...

  19. National forest cover monitoring in mainland South and Southeast Asia: method development and capacity building

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tyukavina, A.; Potapov, P.; Hansen, M.; Talero, Y.; Turubanova, S.; Pickering, J.; Pickens, A. H.; Quyen, N. H.; Spirovska Kono, M.

    2017-12-01

    Timely forest monitoring data produced following good practice guidance are required for national reporting on greenhouse gas emissions, national forest resource assessments, and monitoring for REDD+ projects. Remote sensing provides a cost-efficient supplement to national forest inventories, and is often the single viable source of data on forest extent for countries still in the process of establishing field-based inventories. Operational forest monitoring using remotely sensed data requires technical capacity to store, process, and analyze high volumes of satellite imagery. The University of Maryland Global Land Analysis and Discovery (UMD GLAD) lab possesses such technical capacity and is seeking to transfer it to national agencies responsible for forest reporting, national academic institutions, and NGOs. Our projects in South and Southeast Asia include regional forest monitoring in the lower Mekong region in support of the Regional Land Cover Monitoring System (funded by the NASA SERVIR program) and building capacity for forest monitoring in Nepal, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand (funded by the SilvaCarbon program). Our forest monitoring approach is a regional scale adaptation of methods developed for the global analysis (Hansen et al. 2013). The methodology to track large-scale clearing of natural forests (e.g. in Brazil and Indonesia) is well established; however, the methods for small-scale disturbance mapping and tree cover rotation assessment are still in development. In Bangladesh our mapping of tree cover change between 2000-2014 revealed that 54% of the tree canopy cover was outside forests, and the majority of canopy changes were smaller than 0.1 ha. Landsat's 30-m resolution was therefore insufficient to monitor changes in tree cover. By using a probability sample of high resolution (circa 1 m) imagery we were able to quantify change in tree canopy cover outside forests (including village woodlots, tree plantations and agroforestry

  20. Forest-land owners of Maine, 1982

    Treesearch

    Thomas W. Birch

    1986-01-01

    Information about the attitudes and objectives of the private forest-land owners is essential to understanding Maine's forest resources. Ninety-six percent of Maine's 17 million acres of timberland is in 180,900 private ownerships. Ninety-two percent of these ownerships are individual and joint ownerships. A majority, 66 percent of the owners, live within a...

  1. Detrimental soil disturbance associated with timber harvest systems on National Forests in the Northern Region

    Treesearch

    Derrick Reeves; Deborah Page-Dumroese; Mark Coleman

    2011-01-01

    Maintaining site productivity on forested lands within the National Forest System is a Federal mandate. To meet this mandate, soil conditions on timber harvest units within the Northern Region of the USDA Forest Service cannot exceed a threshold of 15% areal extent of detrimental soil disturbance (DSD; defined as a combination of compaction, puddling, rutting, burning...

  2. Reaching a forest land per capita milestone in the United States

    Treesearch

    C.W. Woodall; P.D. Miles

    2008-01-01

    During April 2007, forest land per capita in the United States dropped below 1 ha. This is the result of a rather static area of forest land in the United States for the past 100 years combined with population growth. The US now joins the ranks of most countries (77%) having forest land per capita below 1 ha. The combination of an increasing human population with...

  3. Mapping national scale land cover disturbance for the continental United States, 2006 to 2010

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hansen, M. C.; Potapov, P. V.; Egorov, A.; Roy, D. P.; Loveland, T. R.

    2011-12-01

    Data from the Web-Enabled Landsat Data (WELD) project were used to quantify forest cover loss and bare ground gain dynamics for the continental United States at a 30 meter spatial resolution from 2006 to 2010. Results illustrate the land cover dynamics associated with forestry, urbanization and other medium to long-term cover conversion processes. Ephemeral changes, such as crop rotations and fallows or inundation, were not quantified. Forest disturbance is pervasive at the national-scale, while increasing bare ground is found in growing urban areas as well as in mining regions. The methods applied are an outgrowth of the Vegetation Continuous Field (VCF) method, initially employed with MODIS data and then WELD data to map percent cover variables. As in our previous work with MODIS in mapping forest change, we applied the VCF method to characterize forest cover loss and bare ground gain probability per pixel. Additional themes will be added to provide a more comprehensive picture of national-scale land dynamics based on these initial results using WELD.

  4. Public lands - from concept to practice

    Treesearch

    John J. Vrablec

    1977-01-01

    Intensive timber management can and is practiced on National Forest lands in the Northeast. There are, however many constraints and limitations which are placed upon the public lands manager. The key issue here is that the National Forests are PUBLIC lands which must be managed for the public.

  5. Social science and the Bitterroot National Forest: A synthesis

    Treesearch

    Stephen F. McCool; James Burchfield; Wayne Freimund

    2000-01-01

    The objective of this research was to synthesize a number of studies focusing on human dimensions of public land management in the Bitterroot National Forest. While 35-40 such studies have been conducted, their cumulative knowledge is limited by use of a variety of approaches, scales and frameworks. Four themes emerged from the synthesis: public attitudes toward...

  6. Applying the concept of wilderness character to national forest planning, monitoring, and management

    Treesearch

    Peter Landres; Mary Beth Hennessy; Kimberly Schlenker; David N. Cole; Steve Boutcher

    2008-01-01

    The U.S. Forest Service is responsible for managing over 35 million acres of designated wilderness, about 18 percent of all the land managed by the agency. Nearly all (90 percent) of the National Forests and Grasslands administer designated wilderness. Although the central mandate from the 1964 Wilderness Act is that the administering agencies preserve the wilderness...

  7. Forest land application of municipal sludge.

    Treesearch

    D.G. Brockway

    1988-01-01

    In Michigan, 199 municipal and numerous industrial wastewater treatment facilities annually generate 222,750 dry tons of sludge, most of which is recycled on farmland. Substantial potential exists, however, to increase application on forest land in the northern two-thirds of the state (Brockway and Nguyen 1986). Although sludge application on agricultural land has...

  8. Mapping and Analysis of Forest and Land Fire Potential Using Geospatial Technology and Mathematical Modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suliman, M. D. H.; Mahmud, M.; Reba, M. N. M.; S, L. W.

    2014-02-01

    Forest and land fire can cause negative implications for forest ecosystems, biodiversity, air quality and soil structure. However, the implications involved can be minimized through effective disaster management system. Effective disaster management mechanisms can be developed through appropriate early warning system as well as an efficient delivery system. This study tried to focus on two aspects, namely by mapping the potential of forest fire and land as well as the delivery of information to users through WebGIS application. Geospatial technology and mathematical modeling used in this study for identifying, classifying and mapping the potential area for burning. Mathematical models used is the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), while Geospatial technologies involved include remote sensing, Geographic Information System (GIS) and digital field data collection. The entire Selangor state was chosen as our study area based on a number of cases have been reported over the last two decades. AHP modeling to assess the comparison between the three main criteria of fuel, topography and human factors design. Contributions of experts directly involved in forest fire fighting operations and land comprising officials from the Fire and Rescue Department Malaysia also evaluated in this model. The study found that about 32.83 square kilometers of the total area of Selangor state are the extreme potential for fire. Extreme potential areas identified are in Bestari Jaya and Kuala Langat High Ulu. Continuity of information and terrestrial forest fire potential was displayed in WebGIS applications on the internet. Display information through WebGIS applications is a better approach to help the decision-making process at a high level of confidence and approximate real conditions. Agencies involved in disaster management such as Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Dan Bantuan Bencana (JPBB) of District, State and the National under the National Security Division and the Fire and Rescue

  9. Monitoring forest land from high altitude and from space

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1971-01-01

    Forest inventory, forest stress, and standardization and calibration studies are presented. These include microscale photointerpretation of forest and nonforest land classes, multiseasonal film densities for automated forest and nonforest land classification, trend and spread of bark beetle infestations from 1968 through 1971, aerial photography for determining optimum levels of stand density to reduce such infestations, use of airborne spectrometers and multispectral scanners for previsual detection of Ponderosa pine trees under stress from insects and diseases, establishment of an earth resources technology satellite test site in the Black Hills and the identification of natural resolution targets, detection of root disease impact on forest stands by sequential orbital and suborbital multispectral photography, and calibration of color aerial photography.

  10. 75 FR 30364 - Mt. Hood and Willamette National Forests, Oregon; Cascade Crossing Transmission Project

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-01

    ... Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) transmission lines through National Forest lands. The second alternative would follow the existing BPA transmission lines through the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs...

  11. The private forest-land owners of the United States

    Treesearch

    Thomas W. Birch; Douglas G. Lewis; H. Fred Kaiser

    1982-01-01

    A report on a 1978 survey of private forest-land owners, based on 11,076 questionnaires. About 7.8 million ownership units hold 333 million acres of privately owned forest land in the United States. Regional and subregional breakdowns are included for such important variables as form of ownership; owner's occupation, age, sex, race, residence, and education; size...

  12. 78 FR 7391 - Motorized Travel Management Plan, Tonto National Forest; Gila, Maricopa, Pinal, and Counties, AZ

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-01

    ... Federal lands. The regulations provide ``for a system of National Forest System (NFS) roads, NFS trails, and areas of NFS lands that are designated for motor vehicle use. Motor vehicle use off designated... travel and for administration, utilization, and protection of NFS lands (36 CFR 212.5(b)). Based on...

  13. 76 FR 1629 - Public Land Order No. 7757; Withdrawal of National Forest System Land for the Big Ice Cave; Montana

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-11

    ... United States Forest Service to protect the Big Ice Cave, its subterranean water supply, and Federal... to protect the Big Ice Cave, its subterranean water supply, and Federal improvements. The Big Ice... protect the Big Ice Cave, its subterranean water supply, and Federal improvements: Custer National Forest...

  14. Lake Michigan Diversion Accounting land cover change estimation by use of the National Land Cover Dataset and raingage network partitioning analysis

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sharpe, Jennifer B.; Soong, David T.

    2015-01-01

    This study used the National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) and developed an automated process for determining the area of the three land cover types, thereby allowing faster updating of future models, and for evaluating land cover changes by use of historical NLCD datasets. The study also carried out a raingage partitioning analysis so that the segmentation of land cover and rainfall in each modeled unit is directly applicable to the HSPF modeling. Historical and existing impervious, grass, and forest land acreages partitioned by percentages covered by two sets of raingages for the Lake Michigan diversion SCAs, gaged basins, and ungaged basins are presented.

  15. Kane Experimental Forest

    Treesearch

    Northeastern Research Station

    1999-01-01

    The 1,737 acres of forest land that comprise the Kane Experimental Forest (KEF), were originally part of the Allegheny National Forest. On March 23, 1932, the land was formally dedicated to research use for the Allegheny Forest Experiment Station (now the Northeastern Research Station). The KEF was established to promote the study of the unglaciated portion of the...

  16. 76 FR 65681 - Black Hills National Forest, Mystic Ranger District, South Dakota, Calumet Project Area

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-24

    ... acres of pine stands using a variety of methods to treat MPB infested stands, reduce the overall density... actions proposed are in direct response to management direction provided by the Black Hills National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan). The site specific actions are designed, based on...

  17. The forest-land owners of Maryland

    Treesearch

    Neal P. Kingsley; Thomas W. Birch

    1980-01-01

    Ninety perrent of the commercial forest land in Maryland--2,280,000 acres-is in the hands of some 95,800 owners. Eighty-seven percent of these owners are individuals. The average individual owner is middle aged, well educated, relatively affluent, and from a rural or farm background. Twenty-two percent of the private owners have harvested timber from their land. These...

  18. Recreation economic values for estimating outdoor recreation economic benefits from the National Forest System

    Treesearch

    Randall S. Rosenberger; Eric M. White; Jeffrey D. Kline; Claire Cvitanovich

    2017-01-01

    Natural resource professionals are often tasked with weighing the benefits and costs of changes in ecosystem services associated with land management alternatives and decisions. In many cases, federal regulations even require land managers and planners to account for these values explicitly. Outdoor recreation is a key ecosystem service provided by national forests and...

  19. Using Our National Forests Wisely.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Feuchter, Roy

    1987-01-01

    Lists nine steps camps can follow to insure successful use of national forests. Steps are identifying national forest resources; matching expectations with the right setting; using recreation opportunity guides; planning for safety; practicing forest etiquette; practicing fire prevention; knowing the forest environment; participating in volunteer…

  20. ERTS-1 data applications to Minnesota forest land use classification

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sizer, J. E. (Principal Investigator); Eller, R. G.; Meyer, M. P.; Ulliman, J. J.

    1973-01-01

    The author has identified the following significant results. Color-combined ERTS-1 MSS spectral slices were analyzed to determine the maximum (repeatable) level of meaningful forest resource classification data visually attainable by skilled forest photointerpreters for the following purposes: (1) periodic updating of the Minnesota Land Management Information System (MLMIS) statewide computerized land use data bank, and (2) to provide first-stage forest resources survey data for large area forest land management planning. Controlled tests were made of two forest classification schemes by experienced professional foresters with special photointerpretation training and experience. The test results indicate it is possible to discriminate the MLMIS forest class from the MLMIS nonforest classes, but that it is not possible, under average circumstances, to further stratify the forest classification into species components with any degree of reliability with ERTS-1 imagery. An ongoing test of the resulting classification scheme involves the interpretation, and mapping, of the south half of Itasca County, Minnesota, with ERTS-1 imagery. This map is undergoing field checking by on the ground field cooperators, whose evaluation will be completed in the fall of 1973.

  1. US forest carbon calculation tool: forest-land carbon stocks and net annual stock change

    Treesearch

    James E. Smith; Linda S. Heath; Michael C. Nichols

    2007-01-01

    The Carbon Calculation Tool 4.0, CCTv40.exe, is a computer application that reads publicly available forest inventory data collected by the U.S. Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis Program (FIA) and generates state-level annualized estimates of carbon stocks on forest land based on FORCARB2 estimators. Estimates can be recalculated as...

  2. Vegetation Analysis and Land Use Land Cover Classification of Forest in Uttara Kannada District India Using Remote Sensign and GIS Techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Koppad, A. G.; Janagoudar, B. S.

    2017-10-01

    The study was conducted in Uttara Kannada districts during the year 2012-2014. The study area lies between 13.92° N to 15.52° N latitude and 74.08° E to 75.09° E longitude with an area of 10,215 km2. The Indian satellite IRS P6 LISS-III imageries were used to classify the land use land cover classes with ground truth data collected with GPS through supervised classification in ERDAS software. The land use and land cover classes identified were dense forest, horticulture plantation, sparse forest, forest plantation, open land and agriculture land. The dense forest covered an area of 63.32 % (6468.70 sq km) followed by agriculture 12.88 % (1315.31 sq. km), sparse forest 10.59 % (1081.37 sq. km), open land 6.09 % (622.37 sq. km), horticulture plantation and least was forest plantation (1.07 %). Settlement, stony land and water body together cover about 4.26 percent of the area. The study indicated that the aspect and altitude influenced the forest types and vegetation pattern. The NDVI map was prepared which indicated that healthy vegetation is represented by high NDVI values between 0.1 and 1. The non- vegetated features such as water bodies, settlement, and stony land indicated less than 0.1 values. The decrease in forest area in some places was due to anthropogenic activities. The thematic map of land use land cover classes was prepared using Arc GIS Software.

  3. [Effects of converting cultivated land into forest land on the characteristics of soil organic carbon in limestone mountain area in Ruichang, Jiangxi].

    PubMed

    Liu, Yuan-qiu; Wang, Fang; Ke, Guo-qing; Wang, Ying-ying; Guo, Shen-mao; Fan, Cheng-fang

    2011-04-01

    Taking the forest lands having been converted from cultivated land for 5 years in Ruichang City of Jiangxi Province as test objects, this paper studied the characteristics of soil organic carbon (SOC) under 4 different conversion models (forest-seedling integration, pure medicinal forest, bamboo-broadleaved mixed forest, and multi-species mixed forest). After the conversion from cultivated land into forestlands, the contents of SOC, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and mineralizable carbon (PMC) in 0-20 cm soil layer increased by 24.4%, 29%, and 18.4%, respectively, compared with those under the conversion from cultivated land into wasteland (P < 0.05), which indicated that the conversion from cultivated land into forest lands significantly increased the SOC content and SOC storage. The SOC, MBC, and PMC contents in 0-10 cm soil layer were significantly higher than those in 10-20 cm soil layer (P < 0.01), and the differences between the soil layers of the four forest lands were higher than those of the wasteland. Among the 4 conversion models, forest-seedling integration had more obvious effects on SOC.

  4. 76 FR 22075 - Divide Ranger District, Rio Grande National Forest; CO; Black Mesa Vegetation Management Project

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-20

    ... Ranger District, Rio Grande National Forest; CO; Black Mesa Vegetation Management Project AGENCY: Forest... Web site http://www.fs.usda.gov/riogrande under ``Land & Resource Management'', then ``Projects'' on... need for the Black Mesa Vegetation Management Project is move toward achieving long-term desired...

  5. Some estimates of growth and mortality from the Malheur National Forest in eastern Oregon.

    Treesearch

    Donald R. Gedney; Floyd A. Johnson; Vernon E. Hicks

    1959-01-01

    During 1955-56 an inventory was made of forested land in the Middle Fork Working Circle of the Malheur National Forest to provide information necessary for calculation of the allowable cut and for other management purposes. The growth and mortality estimates in the following report were obtained from this inventory. Although the estimates apply directly to the Middle...

  6. Impacts of forest and land management on biodiversity and carbon

    Treesearch

    Valerie Kapos; Werner A. Kurz; Toby Gardner; Joice Ferreira; Manuel Guariguata; Lian Pin Koh; Stephanie Mansourian; John A. Parrotta; Nokea Sasaki; Christine B. Schmitt; Jos Barlow; Markku Kanninen; Kimiko Okabe; Yude Pan; Ian D. Thompson; Nathalie van Vliet

    2012-01-01

    Changes in the management of forest and non-forest land can contribute significantly to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. Such changes can include both forest management actions - such as improving the protection and restoration of existing forests, introducing ecologically responsible logging practices and regenerating forest on degraded...

  7. Values, beliefs, and attitudes technical guide for Forest Service land and resource management, planning, and decision-making

    Treesearch

    Stewart D. Allen; Denise A. Wickwar; Fred P. Clark; Robert R. Dow; Robert Potts; Stephanie A. Snyder

    2009-01-01

    In recent years, the Forest Service and the public have placed increasing priority on making sure that management of public lands takes into account the needs of nearby communities, regional residents, national residents, and even members of the public who may not currently visit public lands. As awareness and commitment to this wide range of stakeholders grows, so...

  8. Land use history, environment, and tree composition in a tropical forest

    Treesearch

    Jill Thompson; Nicholas Brokaw; Jess K. Zimmerman; Robert B. Waide; Edwin M. III Everham; D. Jean Lodge; Charlotte M. Taylor; Diana Garcia-Montiel; Marcheterre Fluet

    2002-01-01

    The effects of historical land use on tropical forest must be examined to understand present forest characteristics and to plan conservation strategies. We compared the effects of past land use, topography, soil type, and other environmental variables on tree species composition in a subtropical wet forest in the Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico. The study involved...

  9. Recent advances in applying decision science to managing national forests

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Marcot, Bruce G.; Thompson, Matthew P.; Runge, Michael C.; Thompson, Frank R.; McNulty, Steven; Cleaves, David; Tomosy, Monica; Fisher, Larry A.; Andrew, Bliss

    2012-01-01

    Management of federal public forests to meet sustainability goals and multiple use regulations is an immense challenge. To succeed, we suggest use of formal decision science procedures and tools in the context of structured decision making (SDM). SDM entails four stages: problem structuring (framing the problem and defining objectives and evaluation criteria), problem analysis (defining alternatives, evaluating likely consequences, identifying key uncertainties, and analyzing tradeoffs), decision point (identifying the preferred alternative), and implementation and monitoring the preferred alternative with adaptive management feedbacks. We list a wide array of models, techniques, and tools available for each stage, and provide three case studies of their selected use in National Forest land management and project plans. Successful use of SDM involves participation by decision-makers, analysts, scientists, and stakeholders. We suggest specific areas for training and instituting SDM to foster transparency, rigor, clarity, and inclusiveness in formal decision processes regarding management of national forests.

  10. Building National Capacity To Implement National Forest Monitoring System In Africa By GLAD

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lola Amani, P. K.

    2017-12-01

    Earth Observation data provide numerous information on the earth and its phenomena from space/satellite. They also offer the ability to compile and analyze information at global or local scales in a timely manner. However, to use them, it is important to develop methods that can enable the extraction of the desired information. Such methods should be robust and consistent enough to be considered for national monitoring systems. At the University of Maryland, the Global Land Analysis and Discovery (GLAD) Laboratory, led by Dr. Hansen, has developed automatic methods using Landsat data that have been applied for the Global Forest Change (GFC) in collaboration with the World Resources Institute (WRI), Google and others to providing information on tree cover loss throughout the global on a yearly basis, and on a daily basis a tree cover loss alert system to improve transparency and accessible at GFW Initiative (Global Forest Watch) website. Following the increasing interest in utilizing the GFC data, the GLAD Laboratory is working closely with national governments of different countries to reinforce their capacities in using the data in the best way and implementing the methodological framework for supporting their national forest monitoring, notification, and reporting (MNV) system. More precisely, the Lab supports step by step the countries in developing their reference emission levels and/or forest reference levels based on the country-specific needs, goals, and requirements, including the definition of the forest. Once in place, the methodology can easily be extended to different applications, such as monitoring the droughts events, etc. Here, we present the work accomplished with the national agencies of some countries in Africa, like Cameroon, Republic of Congo and Madagascar with the support of the Silva-Carbon and USAID-CARPE Programs and WRI. These countries are mainly engaged at different levels of the REDD+ process. Keywords: Earth Observation, Landsat data

  11. Area changes in U.S. forests and other major land uses, 1982 to 2002, with projections to 2062.

    Treesearch

    Ralph J. Alig; Andrew J. Plantinga; David Haim; Maribeth Todd

    2010-01-01

    This study updates an earlier assessment of the past, current, and prospective situation for the Nation’s land base. We describe area changes among major land uses on the U.S. land base for historical trends from 1982 to 2002 and projections out to 2062. Historically, 11 million acres of forest, cropland, and open space were converted to urban and other developed uses...

  12. Forest sector carbon analyses support land management planning and projects: Assessing the influence of anthropogenic and natural factors

    Treesearch

    Alexa J. Dugan; Richard Birdsey; Sean P. Healey; Yude Pan; Fangmin Zhang; Gang Mo; Jing Chen; Christopher W. Woodall; Alexander J. Hernandez; Kevin McCullough; James B. McCarter; Crystal L. Raymond; Karen Dante-Wood

    2017-01-01

    Management of forest carbon stocks on public lands is critical to maintaining or enhancing carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere. Acknowledging this, an array of federal regulations and policies have emerged that requires US National Forests to report baseline carbon stocks and changes due to disturbance and management and assess how management activities and...

  13. Northwest Forest Plan—the first 10 years (1994–2003): socioeconomic monitoring of the Mount Hood National Forest and three local communities.

    Treesearch

    William M. Kay; Ellen M. Donoghue; Susan Charnley; Cassandra. Moseley

    2007-01-01

    This report examines socioeconomic changes that took place between 1990 and 2003 on and around lands managed by the Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon to assess the effects of the Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) on rural economies and communities there. Three case communities were studied: the Greater Estacada Area, the Upper Hood River Valley, and the Villages of...

  14. The Forest Types and Ages Cleared for Land Development in Puerto Rico.

    Treesearch

    Todd Kennaway; E. H. Helmer

    2007-01-01

    On the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, forest, urban/built-up, and pasture lands have replaced most formerly cultivated lands. The extent and age distribution of each forest type that undergoes land development, however, is unknown. This study assembles a time series of four land cover maps for Puerto Rico. The time series includes two digitized paper maps of land...

  15. Sediment Transport Investigations on the National Forests of Alabama

    Treesearch

    Johnny M. Grace

    2002-01-01

    In recent years, increased concern and societal pressure have focused on environmental impacts of forest roads on soil erosion and water quality. Forest roads have been identified as the major contributor to sediment production from forested lands accounting for as much as 90 percent of all sediment produced from forest lands. This paper reports on two research studies...

  16. Forest Service National Visitor Use Monitoring Process: Research Method Documentation

    Treesearch

    Donald B.K. English; Susan M. Kocis; Stanley J. Zarnoch; J. Ross Arnold

    2002-01-01

    In response to the need for improved information on recreational use of National Forest System lands, the authors have developed a nationwide, systematic monitoring process. This report documents the methods they used in estimating recreational use on an annual basis. The basic unit of measure is exiting volume of visitors from a recreation site on a given day. Sites...

  17. The study of the undiscovered mineral resources of the Tongass National Forest and adjacent lands, Southeastern Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brew, D.A.; Drew, L.J.; Ludington, S.D.

    1992-01-01

    The quantitative probabilistic assessment of the undiscovered mineral resources of the 17.1-million-acre Tongass National Forest (the largest in the United States) and its adjacent lands is a nonaggregated, mineral-resource-tract-oriented assessment designed for land-planning purposes. As such, it includes the renewed use of gross-in-place values (GIPV's) in dollars of the estimated amounts of metal contained in the undiscovered resources as a measure for land-use planning. Southeastern Alaska is geologically complex and contains a wide variety of known mineral deposits, some of which have produced important amounts of metals during the past 100 years. Regional geological, economic geological, geochemical, geophysical, and mineral exploration history information for the region was integrated to define 124 tracts likely to contain undiscovered mineral resources. Some tracts were judged to contain more than one type of mineral deposit. Each type of deposit may contain one or more metallic elements of economic interest. For tracts where information was sufficient, the minimum number of as-yet-undiscovered deposits of each type was estimated at probability levels of 0.95, 0.90, 0.50, 0.10, and 0.05. The undiscovered mineral resources of the individual tracts were estimated using the U.S. Geological Survey's MARK3 mineral-resource endowment simulator; those estimates were used to calculate GIPV's for the individual tracts. Those GIPV's were aggregated to estimate the value of the undiscovered mineral resources of southeastern Alaska. The aggregated GIPV of the estimates is $40.9 billion. Analysis of this study indicates that (1) there is only a crude positive correlation between the size of individual tracts and their mean GIPV's: and (2) the number of mineral-deposit types in a tract does not dominate the GIPV's of the tracts, but the inferred presence of synorogenic-synvolcanic nickel-copper, porphyry copper skarn-related, iron skarn, and porphyry copper

  18. Use of Road Maps in National Assessments of Forest Fragmentation in the United States

    Treesearch

    Kurt H. Riitters; James Wickham; John Coulston

    2004-01-01

    The question of incorporating road maps into U.S. national assessments of forest fragmentation has been a contentious issue, but there has not been a comparative national analysis to inform the debate. Using data and indices from previous national assessments, we compared fragmentation as calculated from high-resolution land-cover maps alone (Method 1) and after...

  19. A stochastic Forest Fire Model for future land cover scenarios assessment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    D'Andrea, M.; Fiorucci, P.; Holmes, T. P.

    2010-10-01

    Land cover is affected by many factors including economic development, climate and natural disturbances such as wildfires. The ability to evaluate how fire regimes may alter future vegetation, and how future vegetation may alter fire regimes, would assist forest managers in planning management actions to be carried out in the face of anticipated socio-economic and climatic change. In this paper, we present a method for calibrating a cellular automata wildfire regime simulation model with actual data on land cover and wildfire size-frequency. The method is based on the observation that many forest fire regimes, in different forest types and regions, exhibit power law frequency-area distributions. The standard Drossel-Schwabl cellular automata Forest Fire Model (DS-FFM) produces simulations which reproduce this observed pattern. However, the standard model is simplistic in that it considers land cover to be binary - each cell either contains a tree or it is empty - and the model overestimates the frequency of large fires relative to actual landscapes. Our new model, the Modified Forest Fire Model (MFFM), addresses this limitation by incorporating information on actual land use and differentiating among various types of flammable vegetation. The MFFM simulation model was tested on forest types with Mediterranean and sub-tropical fire regimes. The results showed that the MFFM was able to reproduce structural fire regime parameters for these two regions. Further, the model was used to forecast future land cover. Future research will extend this model to refine the forecasts of future land cover and fire regime scenarios under climate, land use and socio-economic change.

  20. Application of China's National Forest Continuous Inventory database.

    PubMed

    Xie, Xiaokui; Wang, Qingli; Dai, Limin; Su, Dongkai; Wang, Xinchuang; Qi, Guang; Ye, Yujing

    2011-12-01

    The maintenance of a timely, reliable and accurate spatial database on current forest ecosystem conditions and changes is essential to characterize and assess forest resources and support sustainable forest management. Information for such a database can be obtained only through a continuous forest inventory. The National Forest Continuous Inventory (NFCI) is the first level of China's three-tiered inventory system. The NFCI is administered by the State Forestry Administration; data are acquired by five inventory institutions around the country. Several important components of the database include land type, forest classification and ageclass/ age-group. The NFCI database in China is constructed based on 5-year inventory periods, resulting in some of the data not being timely when reports are issued. To address this problem, a forest growth simulation model has been developed to update the database for years between the periodic inventories. In order to aid in forest plan design and management, a three-dimensional virtual reality system of forest landscapes for selected units in the database (compartment or sub-compartment) has also been developed based on Virtual Reality Modeling Language. In addition, a transparent internet publishing system for a spatial database based on open source WebGIS (UMN Map Server) has been designed and utilized to enhance public understanding and encourage free participation of interested parties in the development, implementation, and planning of sustainable forest management.

  1. Predicting cannabis cultivation on national forests using a rational choice framework

    Treesearch

    Frank H. Koch; Jeff Prestemon; Geoffrey H. Donovan; Everett A. Hinkley; John M. Chase

    2016-01-01

    Government agencies in the United States eradicated 10.3 million cannabis plants in 2010. Most (94%) of these plants were outdoor-grown, and 46% of those were discovered on federal lands, primarily on national forests in California, Oregon, and Washington. We developed models that reveal how drug markets, policies, and environmental...

  2. Conflicts and issues related to mountain biking in the National Forests: a multimethodological approach

    Treesearch

    Steven J. Hollenhorst; Michael A. Schuett; David Olson

    1995-01-01

    One of the key reasons for the tremendous increase in mountain biking on the National Forests is the myriad of opportunities available for off-road cycling enthusiasts. The issues of land access, trail maintenance and conflict are reinforced as complex problems that will need to be resolved through the cooperation of land managers, user groups and clubs/organizations....

  3. Land-use poverty traps identified in shifting cultivation systems shape long-term tropical forest cover

    PubMed Central

    Coomes, Oliver T.; Takasaki, Yoshito; Rhemtulla, Jeanine M.

    2011-01-01

    In this article we illustrate how fine-grained longitudinal analyses of land holding and land use among forest peasant households in an Amazonian village can enrich our understanding of the poverty/land cover nexus. We examine the dynamic links in shifting cultivation systems among asset poverty, land use, and land cover in a community where poverty is persistent and primary forests have been replaced over time—with community enclosure—by secondary forests (i.e., fallows), orchards, and crop land. Land cover change is assessed using aerial photographs/satellite imagery from 1965 to 2007. Household and plot level data are used to track land holding, portfolios, and use as well as land cover over the past 30 y, with particular attention to forest status (type and age). Our analyses find evidence for two important types of “land-use” poverty traps—a “subsistence crop” trap and a “short fallow” trap—and indicate that the initial conditions of land holding by forest peasants have long-term effects on future forest cover and household welfare. These findings suggest a new mechanism driving poverty traps: insufficient initial land holdings induce land use patterns that trap households in low agricultural productivity. Path dependency in the evolution of household land portfolios and land use strategies strongly influences not only the wellbeing of forest people but also the dynamics of tropical deforestation and secondary forest regrowth. PMID:21873179

  4. Conversions of forest land: trends, determinants, projections, and policy considerations

    Treesearch

    Ralph Alig; Susan Stewart; David Wear; David Nowak

    2010-01-01

    Forest land conversion leads to ecological effects (e.g., changes in water quality and wildlife habitat) and socioeconomic effects (e.g., expanding urban-forest interface, reduced long-term timber production possibilities and loss of open space). Socioeconomic drivers of land use change such as population totals and personal income levels have increased substantially...

  5. Use of state-and-transition simulation modeling in National Forest planning in the Pacific Northwest, U.S.A

    Treesearch

    Ayn J. Shlisky; Don Vandendriesche

    2012-01-01

    Effective national forest planning depends on scientifically sound analyses of land management alternatives relative to desired future conditions and environmental effects. The USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region is currently using state-and-transition simulation models (STMs) to simulate changes in forest composition and structure for the revisions of five...

  6. 76 FR 21855 - Rio Grande National Forest, Divide Ranger District; Mineral County, CO; Village at Wolf Creek...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-19

    ... allowed the conveyance of 300 acres of National Forest System (NFS) land on the Divide Range District..., approving transportation and utility corridors across NFS lands. In February 2008, as part of a Settlement... Need for Action: The non-Federal party, LMJV, holds title to land within the boundaries of the NFS, and...

  7. Francis Marion National Forest forest plan revision - ecosystems & restoration needs

    Treesearch

    Mark Danaher

    2016-01-01

    The Forest Service is currently revising the previous 1995 Forest Plan for the Francis Marion National Forest in Coastal South Carolina developed in the wake of Hurricane Hugo which devastated the forest in 1989. Since 1995, the human communities surrounding the Francis Marion National Forest have grown and changed significantly. The revised Francis Marion Forest Plan...

  8. Development of an ecological classification system for the Wayne National Forest

    Treesearch

    David M. Hix; Andrea M. Chech

    1993-01-01

    In 1991, a collaborative research project was initiated to create an ecological classification system for the Wayne National Forest of southeastern Ohio. The work focuses on the ecological land type (ELT) level of ecosystem classification. The most common ELTs are being identified and described using information from intensive field sampling and multivariate data...

  9. To provide for a boundary adjustment and land conveyances involving Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado, to correct the effects of an erroneous land survey that resulted in approximately 7 acres of the Crystal Lakes Subdivision, Ninth Filing, encroaching on National Forest System land, and for other purposes.

    THOMAS, 111th Congress

    Rep. Markey, Betsy [D-CO-4

    2009-04-01

    Senate - 09/29/2010 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests. Hearings held. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Passed HouseHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

  10. Forests on the edge: evaluating contributions of and threats to America's private forest lands

    Treesearch

    Mark Hatfield; Ronald E. McRoberts; Dacia M. Meneguzzo; Mike Dechter; < i> et al< /i>

    2007-01-01

    The Forests on the Edge project, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, uses geographic information systems to construct and analyze maps depicting ecological, social, and economic contributions of America's private forest lands and threats to those contributions. Watersheds across the conterminous United States are ranked relative to the...

  11. 77 FR 6534 - Malheur National Forest; Oregon; Summit Logan Grazing Authorization Project

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-08

    ... Creek and Summit Prairie allotments. These allotments are within the Upper Malheur River and Upper North Fork Malheur River watersheds. The Summit Logan Grazing Authorization Project area is located south and west of Prairie City, Oregon and encompasses approximately 40,272 acres of National Forest System Lands...

  12. 76 FR 22076 - Bussel 484, Idaho Panhandle National Forests, Idaho, Shoshone County

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-20

    ... miles of system road construction on National Forest System lands, 0.2 miles of road construction across... construction, 5.4 miles of road reconstruction, installing effective motorized vehicle restriction devices...,137 acres; approximately 5.1 miles of system road construction, 0.5 miles of temporary road...

  13. Herpetology of the Coronado National Forest: managing our natural heritage

    Treesearch

    Lawrence L. C. Jones; Charles W. Painter

    2005-01-01

    The Coronado National Forest (CNF) is the primary public land management agency for the United States’ portion of the Madrean Archipelago. The region has a large diversity of amphibians and reptiles, with approximately 110 native species occurring on the CNF. Management of the CNF’s herpetofauna is regulated primarily by environmental laws and policies. Sixteen taxa...

  14. Chemical analysis of rainfall and throughfall in primary forest in the Tapajós National Forest, Belterra, Pará, Brazil

    Treesearch

    R.C. Oliveira Junior; M. Keller; J. F. da F. Ramos; T.P. Beldini; P.M Crill; P.B. de Camargo; J. van Haren

    2015-01-01

    The Tapajós National Forest (FLONA Tapajós) has 600,000 hectares of protected forest, and is situated 50 km south of the city of Santarém, Pará, Brazil, a port city of 250,000 inhabitants that is located at the confluence of the Tapajós and Amazon Rivers. There is a lot of farmland in the region, which offers many opportunities to study changes in land use. Selective...

  15. Land crabs as key drivers in tropical coastal forest recruitment

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lindquist, E.S.; Krauss, K.W.; Green, P.T.; O'Dowd, D. J.; Sherman, P.M.; Smith, T. J.

    2009-01-01

    Plant populations are regulated by a diverse assortment of abiotic and biotic factors that influence seed dispersal and viability, and seedling establishment and growth at the microsite. Rarely does one animal guild exert as significant an influence on different plant assemblages as land crabs. We review three tropical coastal ecosystems-mangroves, island maritime forests, and mainland coastal terrestrial forests-where land crabs directly influence forest composition by limiting tree establishment and recruitment. Land crabs differentially prey on seeds, propagules and seedlings along nutrient, chemical and physical environmental gradients. In all of these ecosystems, but especially mangroves, abiotic gradients are well studied, strong and influence plant species distributions. However, we suggest that crab predation has primacy over many of these environmental factors by acting as the first limiting factor of tropical tree recruitment to drive the potential structural and compositional organisation of coastal forests. We show that the influence of crabs varies relative to tidal gradient, shoreline distance, canopy position, time, season, tree species and fruiting periodicity. Crabs also facilitate forest growth and development through such activities as excavation of burrows, creation of soil mounds, aeration of soils, removal of leaf litter into burrows and creation of carbon-rich soil microhabitats. For all three systems, land crabs influence the distribution, density and size-class structure of tree populations. Indeed, crabs are among the major drivers of tree recruitment in tropical coastal forest ecosystems, and their conservation should be included in management plans of these forests. ?? 2009 Cambridge Philosophical Society.

  16. Field guide for forested plant associations of the Wenatchee National Forest.

    Treesearch

    T.R. Lillybridge; B.L. Kovalchik; C.K. Williams; B.G. Smith

    1995-01-01

    A classification of forest vegetation is presented for the Wenatchee National Forest (NF). It is based on potential vegetation, with the plant association as the basic unit. The sample includes about 570 intensive plots and 840 reconnaissance plots distributed across the Wenatchee National Forest and the southwest portion of the Okanogan National Forest from 1975...

  17. Nontimber forest products management on national forests in the United States.

    Treesearch

    Rebecca J. McLain; Eric T. Jones

    2005-01-01

    This study provides an overview of nontimber forest products (NTFP) programs on national forests in the United States. We conducted an email survey in 2003 to obtain data on NTFP management activities on national forests across the country. Program characteristics examined in the study included important NTFPs managed on national forests, presence of NTFP coordinators...

  18. BLM forest lands report -- 2006 status and condition

    Treesearch

    Tim Bottomley; Jim Menlove

    2006-01-01

    The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), administers over 261 million surface acres of public land in the western United States, including Alaska. Approximately 69 million acres, or 26 percent, are classified as forested.

  19. USDA Forest Service Experimental Forests and Ranges

    Treesearch

    Ralph H. Crawford

    2006-01-01

    Experimental Forests and Ranges (EF&Rs) have provided and continue to provide scientific information for the management of National Forests, industrial and private lands. In accordance with federal authority 4062.01 of the Forest Service Manual, section 4000 provisions of the Organic Administration Act of 1897 (16 USC 551), and the Forest and Rangeland Renewable...

  20. Effect of differential forest management on land-use change (LUC) in a tropical hill forest of Malaysia.

    PubMed

    Masum, Kazi Mohammad; Mansor, Asyraf; Sah, Shahrul Anuar Mohd; Lim, Hwee San

    2017-09-15

    Forest ownership is considered as a vital aspect for sustainable management of forest and its associated biodiversity. The Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015 reported that privately owned forest area are increasing on a global scale, but deforestation was found very active in privately owned hill forest areas of Malaysia. Penang State was purposively chosen as it has been experiencing rapid and radical changes due to urban expansion over the last three decades. In this study, analyses of land-use changes were done by PCI Geomatica using Landsat images from 1991 to 2015, future trends of land-use change were assessed using EXCEL forecast function, and its impact on the surrounding environment were conducted by reviewing already published articles on changing environment of the study area. This study revealed an annual deforestation rate of 1.4% in Penang Island since 1991. Trend analysis forecasted a forest area smaller than the current forest reserves by the year 2039. Impact analysis revealed a rapid biodiversity loss with increasing landslides, mudflows, water pollution, flash flood, and health hazard. An immediate ban over hill-land development is crucial for overall environmental safety. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Putting science into action on Forest Service Lands [Chapter 5

    Treesearch

    William M. Block; Victoria A. Saab; Leonard Ruggiero

    2012-01-01

    The U.S. Forest Service includes three main branches: National Forest Systems, Research and Development, and State and Private Forestry. Herein, we focus on National Forest Systems and Research and Development. National Forest Systems is the management branch of the agency, and its charge is to administer national forests and grasslands throughout the United States. A...

  2. Mapping Secondary Forest Succession on Abandoned Agricultural Land in the Polish Carpathians

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kolecka, N.; Kozak, J.; Kaim, D.; Dobosz, M.; Ginzler, Ch.; Psomas, A.

    2016-06-01

    Land abandonment and secondary forest succession have played a significant role in land cover changes and forest cover increase in mountain areas in Europe over the past several decades. Land abandonment can be easily observed in the field over small areas, but it is difficult to map over the large areas, e.g., with remote sensing, due to its subtle and spatially dispersed character. Our previous paper presented how the LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and topographic data were used to detect secondary forest succession on abandoned land in one commune located in the Polish Carpathians by means of object-based image analysis (OBIA) and GIS (Kolecka et al., 2015). This paper proposes how the method can be applied to efficiently map secondary forest succession over the entire Polish Carpathians, incorporating spatial sampling strategy supported by various ancillary data. Here we discuss the methods of spatial sampling, its limitations and results in the context of future secondary forest succession modelling.

  3. Tracking changes in the susceptibility of forest land infested with gypsy moth

    Treesearch

    David A. Gansner; John W. Quimby; Susan L. King; Stanford L. Arner; David A. Drake

    1994-01-01

    Does forest land subject to intensive outbreaks of gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) become less susceptible to defoliation? A model for estimating the likelihood of gypsy moth defoliation has been developed and validated. It was applied to forest-inventory plot data to quantify trends in the susceptibility of forest land in south-central Pennsylvania during a period of...

  4. Evaluating projects for improving fish and wildlife habitat on National Forests.

    Treesearch

    Fred H. Everest; Daniel R. Talhelm

    1982-01-01

    Recent legislation (PL. 93-452; P.L. 94-588) has emphasized improvement of fish and wildlife habitat on lands of the National Forest System. A sequential procedure has been developed for screening potential projects to identify those producing the greatest fishery benefits. The procedure—which includes program planning, project planning, and intensive benefit/cost...

  5. Greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions from land and forest fire in Indonesia during 2015 based on satellite data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pribadi, A.; Kurata, G.

    2017-01-01

    Land and forest fire still become a major problem in environmental management in Indonesia. In this study, we conducted quantitatively assessment of land and forest fire emissions in Indonesia during 2015. We applied methodology of emission inventory based on burned area, biomass density, combustion factor and emission factor for each land cover type using several satellite data such as MODIS burned area, Pantropical National Level Carbon Stock Dataset, as well as Vegetation Condition Index. The greenhouse gases emissions from land and forest fire in Indonesia during 2015 were (in Gg) 806,406 CO2, 8,002 CH4, 96 N2O, while pollutants emissions were (in Gg) 85,268 CO, 1,168 NOx, 340 SO2, 3,093 NMVOC, 1,041 NH3, 259 BC, 1,957 OC, 4,118 PM2.5 and 5,468 PM10. September was the peak of fire season that generate 58% (species average) of total emissions for this year. The largest contribution was from shrubland/savanna burning which account for 66% (species average) of the total emissions, while about 81% of the total emissions were generated from peatland fire. The results of this study emphasizethe importance of proper peatland management in Indonesia as land and forest fire countermeasures strategy.

  6. Arizona's Forest Resources, 1999

    Treesearch

    Renee O' Brien

    2002-01-01

    This report presents a summary of the most recent inventory information for Arizona's forest lands. Much of the data are from the inventory completed in 1999 that included National Forest System lands and reserved lands. This report includes tables and highlights of area, number of trees, biomass, volume, growth, mortality, successional stage, understory...

  7. Forest Vegetation Simulator translocation techniques with the Bureau of Land Management's Forest Vegetation Information system database

    Treesearch

    Timothy A. Bottomley

    2008-01-01

    The BLM uses a database, called the Forest Vegetation Information System (FORVIS), to store, retrieve, and analyze forest resource information on a majority of their forested lands. FORVIS also has the capability of easily transferring appropriate data electronically into Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) for simulation runs. Only minor additional data inputs or...

  8. The forest-land owners of New Hampshire and Vermont

    Treesearch

    Neal P. Kingsley; Thomas W. Birch

    1977-01-01

    The recently completed forest surveys of New Hampshire and Vermont provided estimates of forest area and timber volume by broad owner categories (Kingsley 1976 and 1977). However, these reports did not provide estimates of the volume of timber or the acreage of commercial forest land that is currently available for harvesting. Nor did they provide descriptions of...

  9. Forest land wildlife habitat resources of South-Central Ohio

    Treesearch

    Robert T. Brooks

    1986-01-01

    As part of the third survey of Ohio's forest resources, measures for assessing wildlife habitat were taken in the State's 10 southern counties. This publication reports on the analysis of some of that data, describing the status of land use patterns, forest area, forest ownership, mast-producing trees, potential snag trees, and understory woody stems. Certain...

  10. North Dakota's forest resources in 2005

    Treesearch

    David E. Haugen; Gary J. Brand; Michael Kangas

    2006-01-01

    This report completes the first 5 years of the annual forest inventory in North Dakota and presents estimates of forest area, volume, and biomass for 2005. It is part of the national effort of annual forest inventory authorized by the 1998 Farm Bill. Sine the third forest inventory, in 1994, total forest land area has increased by 51,000 acres. Private forest land...

  11. Change in agricultural land use constrains adaptation of national wildlife refuges to climate change

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hamilton, Christopher M.; Thogmartin, Wayne E.; Radeloff, Volker C.; Plantinga, Andrew J.; Heglund, Patricia J.; Martinuzzi, Sebastian; Pidgeon, Anna M.

    2015-01-01

    Land-use change around protected areas limits their ability to conserve biodiversity by altering ecological processes such as natural hydrologic and disturbance regimes, facilitating species invasions, and interfering with dispersal of organisms. This paper informs USA National Wildlife Refuge System conservation planning by predicting future land-use change on lands within 25 km distance of 461 refuges in the USA using an econometric model. The model contained two differing policy scenarios, namely a ‘business-as-usual’ scenario and a ‘pro-agriculture’ scenario. Regardless of scenario, by 2051, forest cover and urban land use were predicted to increase around refuges, while the extent of range and pasture was predicted to decrease; cropland use decreased under the business-as-usual scenario, but increased under the pro-agriculture scenario. Increasing agricultural land value under the pro-agriculture scenario slowed an expected increase in forest around refuges, and doubled the rate of range and pasture loss. Intensity of land-use change on lands surrounding refuges differed by regions. Regional differences among scenarios revealed that an understanding of regional and local land-use dynamics and management options was an essential requirement to effectively manage these conserved lands. Such knowledge is particularly important given the predicted need to adapt to a changing global climate.

  12. A technical framework for implementing aquatic ecosystem loading limits (TMDLs) to reduce selenium pollution from phosphate mining wastes on Caribou National Forest, Idaho

    Treesearch

    A. Dennis Lemly

    2001-01-01

    Beginning in 1996, selenium associated with phosphate mining on Caribou National Forest (CNF) was implicated as the cause of death to horses and sheep grazing on private land adjacent to the national forest. In response to these concerns, the Forest Service began a monitoring study to determine selenium concentrations in and around the mine sites. By 1998, the study...

  13. The Eastern Non-industrial Private Forests

    Treesearch

    Gerard D. Hertel

    The USDA Forest Service ?cares for the land and serves the people? under the framework of the Natural Resources Agenda (Watershed Health and Restoration; Sustainable Forest Ecosystems; Recreation; and Forest Roads). The National Forests comprise only 19 percent of the forestland (land that is at least 10% covered with trees) in the United States. The Forest Service has...

  14. Spatio-temporal analysis on land transformation in a forested tropical landscape in Jambi Province, Sumatra

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Melati, Dian N.; Nengah Surati Jaya, I.; Pérez-Cruzado, César; Zuhdi, Muhammad; Fehrmann, Lutz; Magdon, Paul; Kleinn, Christoph

    2015-04-01

    Land use/land cover (LULC) in forested tropical landscapes is very dynamically developing. In particular, the pace of forest conversion in the tropics is a global concern as it directly impacts the global carbon cycle and biodiversity conservation. Expansion of agriculture is known to be among the major drivers of forest loss especially in the tropics. This is also the case in Jambi Province, Sumatra, Indonesia where it is the mainly expansion of tree crops that triggers deforestation: oil palm and rubber trees. Another transformation system in Jambi is the one from natural forest into jungle rubber, which is an agroforestry system where a certain density of forest trees accompanies the rubber tree crop, also for production of wood and non-wood forest products. The spatial distribution and the dynamics of these transformation systems and of the remaining forests are essential information for example for further research on ecosystem services and on the drivers of land transformation. In order to study land transformation, maps from the years 1990, 2000, 2011, and 2013 were utilized, derived from visual interpretation of Landsat images. From these maps, we analyze the land use/land cover change (LULCC) in the study region. It is found that secondary dryland forest (on mineral soils) and secondary swamp forest have been transformed largely into (temporary) shrub land, plantation forests, mixed dryland agriculture, bare lands and estate crops where the latter include the oil palm and rubber plantations. In addition, we present some analyses of the spatial pattern of land transformation to better understand the process of LULC fragmentation within the studied periods. Furthermore, the driving forces are analyzed.

  15. Forest resources of the Shawnee National Forest, 2007

    Treesearch

    C.M. Kurtz; S.J. Crocker

    2010-01-01

    This publication provides an overview of forest resource attributes for the Shawnee National Forest based on an annual inventory conducted by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station. These estimates, along with web-posted core tables, will be updated annually. For more information, please refer to page 4 of...

  16. Combining global land cover datasets to quantify agricultural expansion into forests in Latin America: Limitations and challenges

    PubMed Central

    Persson, U. Martin

    2017-01-01

    While we know that deforestation in the tropics is increasingly driven by commercial agriculture, most tropical countries still lack recent and spatially-explicit assessments of the relative importance of pasture and cropland expansion in causing forest loss. Here we present a spatially explicit quantification of the extent to which cultivated land and grassland expanded at the expense of forests across Latin America in 2001–2011, by combining two “state-of-the-art” global datasets (Global Forest Change forest loss and GlobeLand30-2010 land cover). We further evaluate some of the limitations and challenges in doing this. We find that this approach does capture some of the major patterns of land cover following deforestation, with GlobeLand30-2010’s Grassland class (which we interpret as pasture) being the most common land cover replacing forests across Latin America. However, our analysis also reveals some major limitations to combining these land cover datasets for quantifying pasture and cropland expansion into forest. First, a simple one-to-one translation between GlobeLand30-2010’s Cultivated land and Grassland classes into cropland and pasture respectively, should not be made without caution, as GlobeLand30-2010 defines its Cultivated land to include some pastures. Comparisons with the TerraClass dataset over the Brazilian Amazon and with previous literature indicates that Cultivated land in GlobeLand30-2010 includes notable amounts of pasture and other vegetation (e.g. in Paraguay and the Brazilian Amazon). This further suggests that the approach taken here generally leads to an underestimation (of up to ~60%) of the role of pasture in replacing forest. Second, a large share (~33%) of the Global Forest Change forest loss is found to still be forest according to GlobeLand30-2010 and our analysis suggests that the accuracy of the combined datasets, especially for areas with heterogeneous land cover and/or small-scale forest loss, is still too poor for

  17. Combining global land cover datasets to quantify agricultural expansion into forests in Latin America: Limitations and challenges.

    PubMed

    Pendrill, Florence; Persson, U Martin

    2017-01-01

    While we know that deforestation in the tropics is increasingly driven by commercial agriculture, most tropical countries still lack recent and spatially-explicit assessments of the relative importance of pasture and cropland expansion in causing forest loss. Here we present a spatially explicit quantification of the extent to which cultivated land and grassland expanded at the expense of forests across Latin America in 2001-2011, by combining two "state-of-the-art" global datasets (Global Forest Change forest loss and GlobeLand30-2010 land cover). We further evaluate some of the limitations and challenges in doing this. We find that this approach does capture some of the major patterns of land cover following deforestation, with GlobeLand30-2010's Grassland class (which we interpret as pasture) being the most common land cover replacing forests across Latin America. However, our analysis also reveals some major limitations to combining these land cover datasets for quantifying pasture and cropland expansion into forest. First, a simple one-to-one translation between GlobeLand30-2010's Cultivated land and Grassland classes into cropland and pasture respectively, should not be made without caution, as GlobeLand30-2010 defines its Cultivated land to include some pastures. Comparisons with the TerraClass dataset over the Brazilian Amazon and with previous literature indicates that Cultivated land in GlobeLand30-2010 includes notable amounts of pasture and other vegetation (e.g. in Paraguay and the Brazilian Amazon). This further suggests that the approach taken here generally leads to an underestimation (of up to ~60%) of the role of pasture in replacing forest. Second, a large share (~33%) of the Global Forest Change forest loss is found to still be forest according to GlobeLand30-2010 and our analysis suggests that the accuracy of the combined datasets, especially for areas with heterogeneous land cover and/or small-scale forest loss, is still too poor for deriving

  18. Reconstructing the spatial pattern of historical forest land in China in the past 300 years

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Xuhong; Jin, Xiaobin; Xiang, Xiaomin; Fan, Yeting; Shan, Wei; Zhou, Yinkang

    2018-06-01

    The reconstruction of the historical forest spatial distribution is of a great significance to understanding land surface cover in historical periods as well as its climate and ecological effects. Based on the maximum scope of historical forest land before human intervention, the characteristics of human behaviors in farmland reclamation and deforestation for heating and timber, we create a spatial evolution model to reconstruct the spatial pattern of historical forest land. The model integrates the land suitability for reclamation, the difficulty of deforestation, the attractiveness of timber trading markets and the abundance of forest resources to calibrate the potential scope of historical forest land with the rationale that the higher the probability of deforestation for reclamation and wood, the greater the likelihood that the forest land will be deforested. Compared to the satellite-based forest land distribution in 2000, about 78.5% of our reconstructed historical forest grids are of the absolute error between 25% and -25% while as many as 95.85% of those grids are of the absolute error between 50% and -50%, which indirectly validates the feasibility of our reconstructed model. Then, we simulate the spatial distribution of forest land in China in 1661, 1724, 1820, 1887, 1933 and 1952 with the grid resolution of 1 km × 1 km. Our result shows that (1) the reconstructed historical forest land in China in the past 300 years concentrates in DaXingAnLing, XiaoXingAnLing, ChangBaiShan, HengDuanShan, DaBaShan, WuYiShan, DaBieShan, XueFengShang and etc.; (2) in terms of the spatial evolution, historical forest land shrank gradually in LiaoHe plains, SongHuaJiang-NenJiang plains and SanJiang plains of eastnorth of China, Sichuan basins and YunNan-GuiZhou Plateaus; and (3) these observations are consistent to the proceeding of agriculture reclamation in China in past 300 years towards Northeast China and Southwest China.

  19. Representativeness assessment of research natural areas on National Forest System lands in Idaho

    Treesearch

    Steven K. Rust

    2000-01-01

    A representativeness assessment of National Forest System (NFS) Research Natural Areas in Idaho summarizes information on the status of the natural area network and priorities for identification of new Research Natural Areas. Natural distribution and abundance of plant associations is compared to the representation of plant associations within natural areas. Natural...

  20. Fluctuations in national forest timber harvest and removals: the southern regional perspective

    Treesearch

    Sonja N. Oswalt; Tony G. Johnson; Mike Howell; James W. Bentley

    2009-01-01

    Here, we examine fluctuations in timber harvest and removals on National Forest System (NFS) lands of the Southern Region in light of changing societal values and administrative policies. We also present timber product utilization information based on multiple data sources, examine NFS removals in the context of standing volume, and compare NFS removals with removals...

  1. Communicating with nonindustrial private forest-land owners: Getting programs on target

    Treesearch

    Thomas W. Birch; Nancy A. Pywell; Nancy A. Pywell

    1986-01-01

    Nonindustrial private forest-land owners can be motivated 1, by programs directed to their needs and objectives. Seven target audiences in Pennsylvania were defined and outlets for information programs identified for each target I audience. The primary objectives of each group and the benefits they expect from owning forest land were considered in the preparation of...

  2. Radiographic Analysis of Shortleaf Pine Seeds From the Ouachita and Ozark National Forests

    Treesearch

    Alex C. Mangini; William W. Bruce; James L. Hanula

    2004-01-01

    Abstract - Shortleaf pine, Pinus echinata Mill., is indigenous to the Ouachita Mountains and the Magazine Mountain area of Arkansas. Natural regeneration of shortleaf pine is a priority on National Forest lands in this area. Insects infesting cones and seeds of shortleaf pine reduce the healthy seeds available for natural...

  3. Responding to climate change in national forests: a guidebook for developing adaptation options

    Treesearch

    David L. Peterson; Connie I. Millar; Linda A. Joyce; Michael J. Furniss; Jessica E. Halofsky; Ronald P. Neilson; Toni Lyn Morelli

    2011-01-01

    This guidebook contains science-based principles, processes, and tools necessary to assist with developing adaptation options for national forest lands. The adaptation process is based on partnerships between local resource managers and scientists who work collaboratively to understand potential climate change effects, identify important resource issues, and develop...

  4. Land-use history as a major driver for long-term forest dynamics in the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (central Spain) during the last millennia: implications for forest conservation and management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morales-Molino, César; Colombaroli, Daniele; Valbuena-Carabaña, María; Tinner, Willy; Salomón, Roberto L.; Carrión, José S.; Gil, Luis

    2017-05-01

    In the Mediterranean Basin, long-lasting human activities have largely resulted in forest degradation or destruction. Consequently, conservation efforts aimed at preserving and restoring Mediterranean forests often lack well-defined targets when using current forest composition and structure as a reference. In the Iberian mountains, the still widespread Pinus sylvestris and Quercus pyrenaica woodlands have been heavily impacted by land-use. To assess future developments and as a baseline for planning, forest managers are interested in understanding the origins of present ecosystems to disclose effects on forest composition that may influence future vegetation trajectories. Quantification of land-use change is particularly interesting to understand vegetation responses. Here we use three well-dated multi-proxy palaeoecological sequences from the Guadarrama Mountains (central Spain) to quantitatively reconstruct changes occurred in P. sylvestris forests and the P. sylvestris-Q. pyrenaica ecotone at multi-decadal to millennial timescales, and assess the driving factors. Our results show millennial stability of P. sylvestris forests under varying fire and climate conditions, with few transient declines caused by the combined effects of fire and grazing. The high value of pine timber in the past would account for long-lasting pine forest preservation and partly for the degradation of native riparian vegetation (mostly composed of Betula and Corylus). Pine forests further spread after planned forest management started at 1890 CE. In contrast, intensive coppicing and grazing caused Q. pyrenaica decline some centuries ago (ca. 1500-1650 CE), with unprecedented grazing during the last decades seriously compromising today's oak regeneration. Thus, land-use history played a major role in determining vegetation changes. Finally, we must highlight that the involvement of forest managers in this work has guaranteed a practical use of palaeoecological data in conservation and

  5. 76 FR 3015 - Prohibitions in Areas Designated by Order; Closure of National Forest System Lands To Protect...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-19

    ... Cause Statement The Administrative Procedure Act (APA) exempts certain rulemaking from its public notice...)), such as federal lands managed by the Forest Service. Furthermore, the APA allows agencies to promulgate... from public notice and comment rulemaking under the APA (July 24, 1971; 36 FR 13804). Thus, agencies in...

  6. A Multi-Index Integrated Change detection method for updating the National Land Cover Database

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Jin, Suming; Yang, Limin; Xian, George Z.; Danielson, Patrick; Homer, Collin G.

    2010-01-01

    Land cover change is typically captured by comparing two or more dates of imagery and associating spectral change with true thematic change. A new change detection method, Multi-Index Integrated Change (MIIC), has been developed to capture a full range of land cover disturbance patterns for updating the National Land Cover Database (NLCD). Specific indices typically specialize in identifying only certain types of disturbances; for example, the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) has been widely used for monitoring fire disturbance. Recognizing the potential complementary nature of multiple indices, we integrated four indices into one model to more accurately detect true change between two NLCD time periods. The four indices are NBR, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Change Vector (CV), and a newly developed index called the Relative Change Vector (RCV). The model is designed to provide both change location and change direction (e.g. biomass increase or biomass decrease). The integrated change model has been tested on five image pairs from different regions exhibiting a variety of disturbance types. Compared with a simple change vector method, MIIC can better capture the desired change without introducing additional commission errors. The model is particularly accurate at detecting forest disturbances, such as forest harvest, forest fire, and forest regeneration. Agreement between the initial change map areas derived from MIIC and the retained final land cover type change areas will be showcased from the pilot test sites.

  7. Using indigenous knowledge to link hyper-temporal land cover mapping with land use in the Venezuelan Amazon: "The Forest Pulse".

    PubMed

    Olivero, Jesús; Ferri, Francisco; Acevedo, Pelayo; Lobo, Jorge M; Fa, John E; Farfán, Miguel Á; Romero, David; Real, Raimundo

    2016-12-01

    Remote sensing and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) can be combined to advance conservation of remote tropical regions, e.g. Amazonia, where intensive in situ surveys are often not possible. Integrating TEK into monitoring and management of these areas allows for community participation, as well as for offering novel insights into sustainable resource use. In this study, we developed a 250 m resolution land-cover map of the Western Guyana Shield (Venezuela) based on remote sensing, and used TEK to validate its relevance for indigenous livelihoods and land uses. We first employed a hyper-temporal remotely sensed vegetation index to derive a land classification system. During a 1 300 km, eight day fluvial expedition in roadless areas in the Amazonas State (Venezuela), we visited six indigenous communities who provided geo-referenced data on hunting, fishing and farming activities. We overlaid these TEK data onto the land classification map, to link land classes with indigenous use. We characterized land classes using patterns of greenness temporal change and topo-hydrological information, and proposed 12 land-cover types, grouped into five main landscapes: 1) water bodies; 2) open lands/forest edges; 3) evergreen forests; 4) submontane semideciduous forests, and 5) cloud forests. Each land cover class was identified with a pulsating profile describing temporal changes in greenness, hence we labelled our map as "The Forest Pulse". These greenness profiles showed a slightly increasing trend, for the period 2000 to 2009, in the land classes representing grassland and scrubland, and a slightly decreasing trend in the classes representing forests. This finding is consistent with a gain in carbon in grassland as a consequence of climate warming, and also with some loss of vegetation in the forests. Thus, our classification shows potential to assess future effects of climate change on landscape. Several classes were significantly connected with agriculture, fishing

  8. 78 FR 38287 - Bitterroot National Forest, Darby Ranger District, Como Forest Health Project

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Bitterroot National Forest, Darby Ranger District, Como Forest Health Project AGENCY: Forest Service. ACTION: Notice; Correction. SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, Bitterroot National Forest, Darby Ranger District published a document in...

  9. 36 CFR 261.18 - National Forest Wilderness.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false National Forest Wilderness. 261.18 Section 261.18 Parks, Forests, and Public Property FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PROHIBITIONS General Prohibitions § 261.18 National Forest Wilderness. The following are prohibited in a...

  10. Use of Multi-Year MODIS Phenological Data Products to Detect and Monitor Forest Disturbances at Regional and National Scales

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spruce, Joseph; Hargrove, William W.; Gasser, Jerry; Smoot, James; Ross, Kenton

    2010-01-01

    This presentation discusses an effort to use select MODIS phenological products for forest disturbance monitoring at the regional and CONUS scales. Forests occur on 1/3 of the U.S. land base and include regionally prevalent forest disturbances that can threaten forest sustainability. Regional and CONUS forest disturbance monitoring is needed for a national forest threat early warning system being developed by the USDA Forest Service with help from NASA, ORNL, and USGS. MODIS NDVI phenology products are being used to develop forest disturbance monitoring capabilities of this EWS.

  11. Synergy between land use and climate change increases future fire risk in Amazon forests

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Le Page, Yannick; Morton, Douglas; Hartin, Corinne; Bond-Lamberty, Ben; Cardoso Pereira, José Miguel; Hurtt, George; Asrar, Ghassem

    2017-12-01

    Tropical forests have been a permanent feature of the Amazon basin for at least 55 million years, yet climate change and land use threaten the forest's future over the next century. Understory forest fires, which are common under the current climate in frontier forests, may accelerate Amazon forest losses from climate-driven dieback and deforestation. Far from land use frontiers, scarce fire ignitions and high moisture levels preclude significant burning, yet projected climate and land use changes may increase fire activity in these remote regions. Here, we used a fire model specifically parameterized for Amazon understory fires to examine the interactions between anthropogenic activities and climate under current and projected conditions. In a scenario of low mitigation efforts with substantial land use expansion and climate change - Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 - projected understory fires increase in frequency and duration, burning 4-28 times more forest in 2080-2100 than during 1990-2010. In contrast, active climate mitigation and land use contraction in RCP4.5 constrain the projected increase in fire activity to 0.9-5.4 times contemporary burned area. Importantly, if climate mitigation is not successful, land use contraction alone is very effective under low to moderate climate change, but does little to reduce fire activity under the most severe climate projections. These results underscore the potential for a fire-driven transformation of Amazon forests if recent regional policies for forest conservation are not paired with global efforts to mitigate climate change.

  12. 75 FR 69619 - Chippewa National Forest Resource Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-15

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Chippewa National Forest Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Chippewa National Forest Resource... information on national forest projects and processes to the Chippewa National Forest Resource Advisory...

  13. 36 CFR 261.57 - National Forest wilderness.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false National Forest wilderness. 261.57 Section 261.57 Parks, Forests, and Public Property FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PROHIBITIONS Prohibitions in Areas Designated by Order § 261.57 National Forest wilderness. When provided by an...

  14. 36 CFR 261.57 - National Forest wilderness.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false National Forest wilderness. 261.57 Section 261.57 Parks, Forests, and Public Property FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PROHIBITIONS Prohibitions in Areas Designated by Order § 261.57 National Forest wilderness. When provided by an...

  15. 36 CFR 261.57 - National Forest wilderness.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false National Forest wilderness. 261.57 Section 261.57 Parks, Forests, and Public Property FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PROHIBITIONS Prohibitions in Areas Designated by Order § 261.57 National Forest wilderness. When provided by an...

  16. 36 CFR 261.57 - National Forest wilderness.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false National Forest wilderness. 261.57 Section 261.57 Parks, Forests, and Public Property FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PROHIBITIONS Prohibitions in Areas Designated by Order § 261.57 National Forest wilderness. When provided by an...

  17. 36 CFR 261.57 - National Forest wilderness.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false National Forest wilderness. 261.57 Section 261.57 Parks, Forests, and Public Property FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PROHIBITIONS Prohibitions in Areas Designated by Order § 261.57 National Forest wilderness. When provided by an...

  18. National Scale Monitoring Reporting and Verification of Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Guyana

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bholanath, P.; Cort, K.

    2015-04-01

    Monitoring deforestation and forest degradation at national scale has been identified as a national priority under Guyana's REDD+ Programme. Based on Guyana's MRV (Monitoring Reporting and Verification) System Roadmap developed in 2009, Guyana sought to establish a comprehensive, national system to monitor, report and verify forest carbon emissions resulting from deforestation and forest degradation in Guyana. To date, four national annual assessments have been conducted: 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. Monitoring of forest change in 2010 was completed with medium resolution imagery, mainly Landsat 5. In 2011, assessment was conducted using a combination of Landsat (5 and 7) and for the first time, 5m high resolution imagery, with RapidEye coverage for approximately half of Guyana where majority of land use changes were taking place. Forest change in 2013 was determined using high resolution imagery for the whole of Guyana. The current method is an automated-assisted process of careful systematic manual interpretation of satellite imagery to identify deforestation based on different drivers of change. The minimum mapping unit (MMU) for deforestation is 1 ha (Guyana's forest definition) and a country-specific definition of 0.25 ha for degradation. The total forested area of Guyana is estimated as 18.39 million hectares (ha). In 2012 as planned, Guyana's forest area was reevaluated using RapidEye 5 m imagery. Deforestation in 2013 is estimated at 12 733 ha which equates to a total deforestation rate of 0.068%. Significant progress was made in 2012 and 2013, in mapping forest degradation. The area of forest degradation as measured by interpretation of 5 m RapidEye satellite imagery in 2013 was 4 352 ha. All results are subject to accuracy assessment and independent third party verification.

  19. New Mexico's Forest Resources, 2000

    Treesearch

    Renee A. O' Brien

    2003-01-01

    This report presents a summary of the most recent inventory information for New Mexico's forest lands. Most of the data are from the inventory completed in 2000 that included National Forest System lands and reserved lands. This report includes descriptive highlights and tables of area, number of trees, biomass, volume, growth, mortality, successional stage,...

  20. 75 FR 8645 - Public Meetings on the Development of the Forest Service Land Management Planning Rule

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-02-25

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Public Meetings on the Development of the Forest Service Land Management Planning Rule AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meetings. SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service is committed to developing a new Forest Service Land Management Planning Rule...

  1. Capacity of US Forests to Maintain Existing Carbon Sequestration will be affected by Changes in Forest Disturbances and to a greater extent, the Economic and Societal Influences on Forest Management and Land Use

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Joyce, L. A.; Running, S. W.; Breshears, D. D.; Dale, V.; Malmsheimer, R. W.; Sampson, N.; Sohngen, B.; Woodall, C. W.

    2012-12-01

    Increasingly the value of US forest carbon dynamics and carbon sequestration is being recognized in discussions of adaptation and mitigation to climate change. Past exploitation of forestlands in the United States for timber, fuelwood, and conversion to agriculture resulted in large swings in forestland area and terrestrial carbon dynamics. The National Climate Assessment explored the implications of current and future stressors, including climate change, to the future of forest carbon dynamics in the United States. While U.S forests and associated harvested wood products sequestered roughly 13 percent of all carbon dioxide emitted in the United States in 2010, the capacity of forests to maintain this amount of carbon sequestration will be affected by the effects of climate change on forest disturbances, tree growth and mortality, changes in species composition, and to a greater extent, the economic and societal influences on forest management and forestland use. Carbon mitigation through forest management includes three strategies: 1) land management to increase forest area (afforestation) and/or avoid deforestation; 2) carbon management in existing forests; and 3) use of wood in place of materials that require more carbon emissions to produce, in place of fossil fuels to produce energy or in wood products for carbon storage. A significant financial incentive facing many private forest owners is the value of their forest lands for conversion to urban or developed uses. In addition, consequences of large scale die-off and wildfire disturbance events from climate change pose major challenges to forestland area and forest management with potential impacts occurring up to regional scales for timber, flooding and erosion risks, other changes in water budgets, and biogeochemical changes including carbon storage. Options for carbon management on existing forests include practices that increase forest growth such as fertilization, irrigation, switch to fast

  2. Sludge fertilization of State Forest land in northern Michigan

    Treesearch

    D.G. Brockway

    1991-01-01

    A five-year research-demonstration project to examine the logistic, economic, environmental and sociological aspects of municipal wastewater sludge application was conducted on State Forest land occupied by forest types of major commercial importance in northern Michigan. The procedures utilized for site preparation, sludge transportation and sludge application proved...

  3. Forest invasive adaptive management on national wildlife refuge lands in the central hardwood region

    Treesearch

    Damon B. Lesmeister; Sean M. Blomquist; Eric V. Lonsdorf; Daniel Wood; Perry J. Williams; Brad Pendley; Karen E. Mangan; Benjamin A. Walker

    2014-01-01

    Approximately 2.4 million acres of National Wildlife Refuge System lands are impacted by invasive plants and are the primary challenge for habitat management in the Central Hardwood region. In 2011, biologists, managers, and contracted support staff from six national wildlife refuges in southern Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri developed an adaptive management project...

  4. Forest harvest patterns on private lands in the Cascade Mountains, Washington, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Soulard, Christopher E.; Walker, Jessica; Griffith, Glenn E.

    2017-01-01

    Forests in Washington State generate substantial economic revenue from commercial timber harvesting on private lands. To investigate the rates, causes, and spatial and temporal patterns of forest harvest on private tracts throughout the Cascade Mountains, we relied on a new generation of annual land-use/land-cover (LULC) products created from the application of the Continuous Change Detection and Classification (CCDC) algorithm to Landsat satellite imagery collected from 1985 to 2014. We calculated metrics of landscape pattern using patches of intact and harvested forest in each annual layer to identify changes throughout the time series. Patch dynamics revealed four distinct eras of logging trends that align with prevailing regulations and economic conditions. We used multiple logistic regression to determine the biophysical and anthropogenic factors that influence fine-scale selection of harvest stands in each time period. Results show that private lands forest cover became significantly reduced and more fragmented from 1985 to 2014. Variables linked to parameters of site conditions, location, climate, and vegetation greenness consistently distinguished harvest selection for each distinct era. This study demonstrates the utility of annual LULC data for investigating the underlying factors that influence land cover change.

  5. Application of ERTS-1 imagery to land use, forest density and soil investigations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yassoglou, N. J. (Principal Investigator)

    1973-01-01

    The author has identified the following significant results. Photographic and digital imagery obtained by ERTS-1 was analyzed and assigned to land features related to agricultural and forest resources. Land use and forest site evaluation maps were prepared by comparing remote sensing and ground truth data. Relationships found in this investigation between spectral signatures recorded by ERTS-1 and land features can be used for the assessment and development of agricultural and forest resources. The results are applicable to areas with ecological and geological conditions similar to those of Greece.

  6. Regional differences of urbanization in the conterminous U.S. on upland forest land cover, 1973-2011

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Auch, Roger F.; Drummond, Mark A.; Xian, George Z.; Sayler, Kristi L.; Acevedo, William; Taylor, Janis

    2016-01-01

    In this U.S. Geological Survey study of forest land cover across the conterminous U.S. (CONUS), specific proportions and rates of forest conversion to developed (urban) land were assessed on an ecoregional basis. The study period was divided into six time intervals between 1973 and 2011. Forest land cover was the source of 40% or more of the new urban land in 35 of the 84 ecoregions located within the CONUS. In 11 of these ecoregions this threshold exceeded in every time interval. When the percent of change, forest to urban, was compared to the percent of forest in each ecoregion, 58 ecoregions had a greater percent of change and, in six of those, change occurred in every time interval. Annual rates of forest to urban land cover change of 0.2% or higher occurred in 12 ecoregions at least once and in one ecoregion in all intervals. There were three ecoregions where the above conditions were met for nearly every time interval. Even though only a small number of the ecoregions were heavily impacted by forest loss to urban development within the CONUS, the ecosystem services provided by undeveloped forest land cover need to be quantified more completely to better inform future regional land management.

  7. Using Resource Economics to Anticipate Forest Land Use Change in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Region

    Treesearch

    Peter J. Parks; Ian W. Hardie; Cheryl A. Tedder; David N. Wear

    2000-01-01

    Demands for forest, farm, and developed land are evolving in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region. The demand for land in developed uses, as well as demands for various forest and farm products are changing in response to population growth, demographic shifts, and market forces. As demand factors change so do relative land values. Land area in future forest, farm, and...

  8. GOFC-GOLD :: Global Observation of Forest and Land Cover Dynamics

    Science.gov Websites

    GTOS HOME OVERVIEW CALENDAR ORGANIZATION LAND TEAM FIRE TEAM NETWORKS WORKING GROUPS PARTNERS DATA availability of observations of forests and land cover at regional and global scales and to produce useful

  9. Forest land cover change (1975-2000) in the Greater Border Lakes region

    Treesearch

    Peter T. Wolter; Brian R. Sturtevant; Brian R. Miranda; Sue M. Lietz; Phillip A. Townsend; John Pastor

    2012-01-01

    This document and accompanying maps describe land cover classifications and change detection for a 13.8 million ha landscape straddling the border between Minnesota, and Ontario, Canada (greater Border Lakes Region). Land cover classifications focus on discerning Anderson Level II forest and nonforest cover to track spatiotemporal changes in forest cover. Multi-...

  10. Homogenization of northern U.S. Great Lakes forests due to land use

    Treesearch

    Lisa A. Schulte; David J. Mladenoff; Thomas R. Crow; Laura C. Merrick; David T. Cleland

    2007-01-01

    Human land use of forested regions has intensified worldwide in recent decades, threatening long-term sustainability. Primary effects include conversion of land cover or reversion to an earlier stage of successional development. Both types of change can have cascading effects through ecosystems; however, the longterm effects where forests are allowed to regrow are...

  11. Forest and farmland conservation effects of Oregon's (USA) land-use planning program.

    Treesearch

    Jeffrey D. Kline

    2005-01-01

    Oregon's land-use planning program is often cited as an exemplary approach to forest and farmland conservation, but analyses of its effectiveness are limited. This article examines Oregon's land-use planning program using detailed spatial data describing building densities in western Oregon. An empirical model describes changes in building densities on forest...

  12. Synergy between land use and climate change increases future fire risk in Amazon forests

    DOE PAGES

    Le Page, Yannick; Morton, Douglas; Hartin, Corinne; ...

    2017-12-20

    Tropical forests have been a permanent feature of the Amazon basin for at least 55 million years, yet climate change and land use threaten the forest's future over the next century. Understory forest fires, which are common under the current climate in frontier forests, may accelerate Amazon forest losses from climate-driven dieback and deforestation. Far from land use frontiers, scarce fire ignitions and high moisture levels preclude significant burning, yet projected climate and land use changes may increase fire activity in these remote regions. Here, we used a fire model specifically parameterized for Amazon understory fires to examine the interactionsmore » between anthropogenic activities and climate under current and projected conditions. In a scenario of low mitigation efforts with substantial land use expansion and climate change – Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 – projected understory fires increase in frequency and duration, burning 4–28 times more forest in 2080–2100 than during 1990–2010. In contrast, active climate mitigation and land use contraction in RCP4.5 constrain the projected increase in fire activity to 0.9–5.4 times contemporary burned area. Importantly, if climate mitigation is not successful, land use contraction alone is very effective under low to moderate climate change, but does little to reduce fire activity under the most severe climate projections. These results underscore the potential for a fire-driven transformation of Amazon forests if recent regional policies for forest conservation are not paired with global efforts to mitigate climate change.« less

  13. Synergy between land use and climate change increases future fire risk in Amazon forests

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Le Page, Yannick; Morton, Douglas; Hartin, Corinne

    Tropical forests have been a permanent feature of the Amazon basin for at least 55 million years, yet climate change and land use threaten the forest's future over the next century. Understory forest fires, which are common under the current climate in frontier forests, may accelerate Amazon forest losses from climate-driven dieback and deforestation. Far from land use frontiers, scarce fire ignitions and high moisture levels preclude significant burning, yet projected climate and land use changes may increase fire activity in these remote regions. Here, we used a fire model specifically parameterized for Amazon understory fires to examine the interactionsmore » between anthropogenic activities and climate under current and projected conditions. In a scenario of low mitigation efforts with substantial land use expansion and climate change – Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 – projected understory fires increase in frequency and duration, burning 4–28 times more forest in 2080–2100 than during 1990–2010. In contrast, active climate mitigation and land use contraction in RCP4.5 constrain the projected increase in fire activity to 0.9–5.4 times contemporary burned area. Importantly, if climate mitigation is not successful, land use contraction alone is very effective under low to moderate climate change, but does little to reduce fire activity under the most severe climate projections. These results underscore the potential for a fire-driven transformation of Amazon forests if recent regional policies for forest conservation are not paired with global efforts to mitigate climate change.« less

  14. Using an intergrated moisture index to assess forest composition and productivity. Chapter 11.

    Treesearch

    Matthew Peters; Louis R. Iverson; Anantha M. Prasad

    2010-01-01

    The 834,000-acre Wayne National Forest, Ohio's only national forest, lies in the rolling foothills of the Appalachians in the state's southeast. Congress established the forest boundary in 1934 to prioritize land acquisition and ownership of forest lands in need of restoration. The forest is composed of both central hardwoods,...

  15. Monitoring state forest lands in standardization with a national forest inventory program

    Treesearch

    James A. Westfall; Charles T. Scott

    2009-01-01

    Within the past decade, there has been increasing interest in uniformity of forest inventory techniques and methods. Where forest inventories are already in place, harmonization is often needed to recast various metrics and measurements to a common definition so that results can be compared and summarized across various spatial scales without regard to administrative...

  16. Implications of land use change on the national terrestrial carbon budget of Georgia

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background Globally, the loss of forests now contributes almost 20% of carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere. There is an immediate need to reduce the current rates of forest loss, and the associated release of carbon dioxide, but for many areas of the world these rates are largely unknown. The Soviet Union contained a substantial part of the world's forests and the fate of those forests and their effect on carbon dynamics remain unknown for many areas of the former Eastern Bloc. For Georgia, the political and economic transitions following independence in 1991 have been dramatic. In this paper we quantify rates of land use changes and their effect on the terrestrial carbon budget for Georgia. A carbon book-keeping model traces changes in carbon stocks using historical and current rates of land use change. Landsat satellite images acquired circa 1990 and 2000 were analyzed to detect changes in forest cover since 1990. Results The remote sensing analysis showed that a modest forest loss occurred, with approximately 0.8% of the forest cover having disappeared after 1990. Nevertheless, growth of Georgian forests still contribute a current national sink of about 0.3 Tg of carbon per year, which corresponds to 31% of the country anthropogenic carbon emissions. Conclusions We assume that the observed forest loss is mainly a result of illegal logging, but we have not found any evidence of large-scale clear-cutting. Instead local harvesting of timber for household use is likely to be the underlying driver of the observed logging. The Georgian forests are a currently a carbon sink and will remain as such until about 2040 if the current rate of deforestation persists. Forest protection efforts, combined with economic growth, are essential for reducing the rate of deforestation and protecting the carbon sink provided by Georgian forests. PMID:20836865

  17. Implications of land use change on the national terrestrial carbon budget of Georgia.

    PubMed

    Olofsson, Pontus; Torchinava, Paata; Woodcock, Curtis E; Baccini, Alessandro; Houghton, Richard A; Ozdogan, Mutlu; Zhao, Feng; Yang, Xiaoyuan

    2010-09-13

    Globally, the loss of forests now contributes almost 20% of carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere. There is an immediate need to reduce the current rates of forest loss, and the associated release of carbon dioxide, but for many areas of the world these rates are largely unknown. The Soviet Union contained a substantial part of the world's forests and the fate of those forests and their effect on carbon dynamics remain unknown for many areas of the former Eastern Bloc. For Georgia, the political and economic transitions following independence in 1991 have been dramatic. In this paper we quantify rates of land use changes and their effect on the terrestrial carbon budget for Georgia. A carbon book-keeping model traces changes in carbon stocks using historical and current rates of land use change. Landsat satellite images acquired circa 1990 and 2000 were analyzed to detect changes in forest cover since 1990. The remote sensing analysis showed that a modest forest loss occurred, with approximately 0.8% of the forest cover having disappeared after 1990. Nevertheless, growth of Georgian forests still contribute a current national sink of about 0.3 Tg of carbon per year, which corresponds to 31% of the country anthropogenic carbon emissions. We assume that the observed forest loss is mainly a result of illegal logging, but we have not found any evidence of large-scale clear-cutting. Instead local harvesting of timber for household use is likely to be the underlying driver of the observed logging. The Georgian forests are a currently a carbon sink and will remain as such until about 2040 if the current rate of deforestation persists. Forest protection efforts, combined with economic growth, are essential for reducing the rate of deforestation and protecting the carbon sink provided by Georgian forests.

  18. Impact of riparian land use on stream insects of Kudremukh National Park, Karnataka state, India.

    PubMed

    Subramanian, K A; Sivaramakrishnan, K G; Gadgil, Madhav

    2005-12-31

    The impact of riparian land use on the stream insect communities was studied at Kudremukh National Park located within Western Ghats, a tropical biodiversity hotspot in India. The diversity and community composition of stream insects varied across streams with different riparian land use types. The rarefied family and generic richness was highest in streams with natural semi evergreen forests as riparian vegetation. However, when the streams had human habitations and areca nut plantations as riparian land use type, the rarefied richness was higher than that of streams with natural evergreen forests and grasslands. The streams with scrub lands and iron ore mining as the riparian land use had the lowest rarefied richness. Within a landscape, the streams with the natural riparian vegetation had similar community composition. However, streams with natural grasslands as the riparian vegetation, had low diversity and the community composition was similar to those of paddy fields. We discuss how stream insect assemblages differ due to varied riparian land use patterns, reflecting fundamental alterations in the functioning of stream ecosystems. This understanding is vital to conserve, manage and restore tropical riverine ecosystems.

  19. Impact of riparian land use on stream insects of Kudremukh National Park, Karnataka state, India

    PubMed Central

    Subramanian, K.A.; Sivaramakrishnan, K.G.; Gadgil, Madhav

    2005-01-01

    The impact of riparian land use on the stream insect communities was studied at Kudremukh National Park located within Western Ghats, a tropical biodiversity hotspot in India. The diversity and community composition of stream insects varied across streams with different riparian land use types. The rarefied family and generic richness was highest in streams with natural semi evergreen forests as riparian vegetation. However, when the streams had human habitations and areca nut plantations as riparian land use type, the rarefied richness was higher than that of streams with natural evergreen forests and grasslands. The streams with scrub lands and iron ore mining as the riparian land use had the lowest rarefied richness. Within a landscape, the streams with the natural riparian vegetation had similar community composition. However, streams with natural grasslands as the riparian vegetation, had low diversity and the community composition was similar to those of paddy fields. We discuss how stream insect assemblages differ due to varied riparian land use patterns, reflecting fundamental alterations in the functioning of stream ecosystems. This understanding is vital to conserve, manage and restore tropical riverine ecosystems. PMID:17119631

  20. 76 FR 56394 - Kootenai National Forest, Sanders, County, MT; Rock Creek Project

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-13

    ... access. Approximately 10 acres of National Forest System lands would be disturbed at the adit site and 10... wide, with an estimated length of 6,592 feet at a decline of 10 percent. Forty- foot cross cuts would... waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and...

  1. Washington's public and private forests.

    Treesearch

    Charles L. Bolsinger; Neil McKay; Donald FL Gedney; Carol Alerich

    1997-01-01

    This report summarizes and analyzes 1988-91 timber inventories of western and eastern Washington. These inventories were conducted on all private and public lands except National Forests. Timber resource statistics from National Forest inventories also are presented. Detailed tables provide estimates of forest area, timber volume, growth, mortality, and harvest. Data...

  2. Forested plant associations of the Colville National Forest.

    Treesearch

    Clinton K. Williams; Brian F. Kelley; Bradley G. Smith; Terry R. Lillybridge

    1995-01-01

    A classification of forest vegetation is presented for the Colville National Forest in northeastern Washington State. It is based on potential vegetation with the plant association as the basic unit. The classification is based on a sample of approximately 229 intensive plots and 282 reconnaissance plots distributed across the forest from 1980 to 1983. The hierarchical...

  3. Northwest Forest Plan—the first 10 years (1994-2003): status and trend of late-successional and old-growth forest.

    Treesearch

    Melinda Moeur; Thomas A. Spies; Miles Hemstrom; Jon R. Martin; James Alegria; Julie Browning; John Cissel; Warren B. Cohen; Thomas E. Demeo; Sean Healey; Ralph Warbington

    2005-01-01

    We monitored the status and trend of late-successional and old-growth forest (older forest) on 24 million ac of land managed by the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service in the Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) area between 1994 and 2003. We developed baseline maps from satellite imagery of older forest conditions at the start of the Plan...

  4. Historic range of variability for upland vegetation in the Bighorn National Forest, Wyoming

    Treesearch

    Carolyn B. Meyer; Dennis H. Knight; Gregory K. Dillon

    2005-01-01

    An approach for synthesizing the results of ecological research pertinent to land management is the analysis of the historic range of variability (HRV) for key ecosystem variables that are affected by management activities. This report provides an HRV analysis for the upland vegetation of the Bighorn National Forest in northcentral Wyoming. The variables include live...

  5. A method for examining the impacts of Oregon land use laws on forest lands and farmlands

    Treesearch

    David L. Azuma; Gary Lettman; Erica Hanson

    2009-01-01

    Over the past 8 years, the Pacific Northwest Research Station Forest Inventory and Analysis unit, in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Department of Agriculture, and Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, has researched the effect of Oregon's land use laws on the conversion and development of land. The studies have used...

  6. Development of Forest Drought Index and Forest Water Use Prediction in Gyeonggi Province, Korea Using High-Resolution Weather Research and Forecast Data and Localized JULES Land Surface Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, H.; Park, J.; Cho, S.; Lee, S. J.; Kim, H. S.

    2017-12-01

    Forest determines the amount of water available to low land ecosystems, which use the rest of water after evapotranspiration by forests. Substantial increase of drought, especially for seasonal drought, has occurred in Korea due to climate change, recently. To cope with this increasing crisis, it is necessary to predict the water use of forest. In our study, forest water use in the Gyeonggi Province in Korea was estimated using high-resolution (spatial and temporal) meteorological forecast data and localized Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES) which is one of the widely used land surface models. The modeled estimation was used for developing forest drought index. The localization of the model was conducted by 1) refining the existing two tree plant functional types (coniferous and deciduous trees) into five (Quercus spp., other deciduous tree spp., Pinus spp., Larix spp., and other coniferous spp.), 2) correcting moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) leaf area index (LAI) through data assimilation with in situ measured LAI, and 3) optimizing the unmeasured plant physiological parameters (e.g. leaf nitrogen contents, nitrogen distribution within canopy, light use efficiency) based on sensitivity analysis of model output values. The high-resolution (hourly and 810 × 810 m) National Center for AgroMeteorology-Land-Atmosphere Modeling Package (NCAM-LAMP) data were employed as meteorological input data in JULES. The plant functional types and soil texture of each grid cell in the same resolution with that of NCAM-LAMP was also used. The performance of the localized model in estimating forest water use was verified by comparison with the multi-year sapflow measurements and Eddy covariance data of Taehwa Mountain site. Our result can be used as referential information to estimate the forest water use change by the climate change. Moreover, the drought index can be used to foresee the drought condition and prepare to it.

  7. Importance of scale, land cover, and weather on the abundance of bird species in a managed forest

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Grinde, Alexis R.; Hiemi, Gerald J.; Sturtevant, Brian R.; Panci, Hannah; Thogmartin, Wayne E.; Wolter, Peter

    2017-01-01

    Climate change and habitat loss are projected to be the two greatest drivers of biodiversity loss over the coming century. While public lands have the potential to increase regional resilience of bird populations to these threats, long-term data are necessary to document species responses to changes in climate and habitat to better understand population vulnerabilities. We used generalized linear mixed models to determine the importance of stand-level characteristics, multi-scale land cover, and annual weather factors to the abundance of 61 bird species over a 20-year time frame in Chippewa National Forest, Minnesota, USA. Of the 61 species modeled, we were able to build final models with R-squared values that ranged from 26% to 69% for 37 species; the remaining 24 species models had issues with convergence or low explanatory power (R-squared < 20%). Models for the 37 species show that stand-level characteristics, land cover factors, and annual weather effects on species abundance were species-specific and varied within guilds. Forty-one percent of the final species models included stand-level characteristics, 92% included land cover variables at the 200 m scale, 51% included land cover variables at the 500 m scale, 46% included land cover variables at the 1000 m scale, and 38% included weather variables in best models. Three species models (8%) included significant weather and land cover interaction terms. Overall, models indicated that aboveground tree biomass and land cover variables drove changes in the majority of species. Of those species models including weather variables, more included annual variation in precipitation or drought than temperature. Annual weather variability was significantly more likely to impact abundance of species associated with deciduous forests and bird species that are considered climate sensitive. The long-term data and models we developed are particularly suited to informing science-based adaptive forest management plans that

  8. Mapping and analysis land-use and land-cover changes during 1996-2016 in Lubuk Kertang mangrove forest, North Sumatra, Indonesia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Basyuni, M.; Fitri, A.; Harahap, Z. A.

    2018-03-01

    Mangrove forest plays a significant role for biogeochemical carbon cycle in the context of climate change along the tropical coastal area. The present study analyzed the land-use and land-cover changes from 1996, 2006 and 2016 in Lubuk Kertang mangrove forest, Langkat, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Mangrove diversity in Lubuk Kertang consists of fifteen species, Acanthus ilicifolius, Avicennia marina, A. lanata, A. officinalis, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, B. sexangula, Ceriops tagal, Excoecaria agallocha, Lumnitzera racemosa, L. littorea, R. apiculata, R. mucronata, Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea, Sonneratia caseolaris, and Xylocarpus granatum. The land use/land cover consists of seven classes namely, mangrove forest, river, residential, paddy field, oil palm plantation, aquaculture, and open space area. A land use change matrix showed that the decrease of mangrove forest 109.4 ha from 1996-2006 converted to aquaculture 51.5 ha (47.1%). By contrast, mangrove lost 291.2 ha during 2006-2016, with main driver deforestation was oil palm plantation 128.1 ha (44%). During twenty years mangrove forest has been lost more than 400.4 ha, which is equal to 20.02 ha/year. On the other hand, oil palm plantation and aquaculture have been increased 155.3 ha and 114.1 ha during 1996-2016, respectively, suggested that both land-uses are mainly responsible for mangrove deforestation. These data are likely to contribute towards coastal management planning and practice and mitigating actions for emission reduction scenario.

  9. Forest and Land Fire Prevention Through the Hotspot Movement Pattern Approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Turmudi, T.; Kardono, P.; Hartanto, P.; Ardhitasari, Y.

    2018-02-01

    Indonesia has experienced a great forest fire disaster in 2015. The losses incurred were enormous. But actually the incidence of forest and land fires occurs almost every year. Various efforts were made to cope with the fire disaster. The appearance of a hotspot becomes an early indication of the fire incident both location and time. By studying the location and time of the hotspot's appearance indicates that the hotspot has certain movement patterns from year to year. This study aims to show the pattern of movement of hotspots from year to year that can be used for the prevention of forest and land fires. The method used is time series analysis of land cover and hotspot distribution. The data used were land cover data from 2005 to 2016, hotspot data from 2005 to 2016. The location of this study is the territory of Meranti Kepulauan District. The results show that the highest hotspot is 425 hotspots occurs in the shrubs and bushes. From year to year, the pattern of hotspot movement occurs in the shrubs and bushes cover. The hotspot pattern follows the direction of unused land for cultivation and is dominated by shrubs. From these results, we need to pay more attentiont for the land with the cover of shrubs adjacent to the cultivated land.

  10. Classification and management of aquatic, riparian, and wetland sites on the national forests of eastern Washington: series description.

    Treesearch

    Bernard L. Kovalchik; Rodrick R. Clausnitzer

    2004-01-01

    This is a classification of aquatic, wetland, and riparian series and plant associations found within the Colville, Okanogan, and Wenatchee National Forests. It is based on the potential vegetation occurring on lake and pond margins, wetland fens and bogs, and fluvial surfaces along streams and rivers within Forest Service lands. Data used in the classification were...

  11. Trees of Our National Forests.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Forest Service (USDA), Washington, DC.

    Presented is a description of the creation of the National Forests system, how trees grow, managing the National Forests, types of management systems, and managing for multiple use, including wildlife, water, recreation and other uses. Included are: (1) photographs; (2) line drawings of typical leaves, cones, flowers, and seeds; and (3)…

  12. Completion of the 2011 National Land Cover Database for the conterminous United States – Representing a decade of land cover change information

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Homer, Collin G.; Dewitz, Jon; Yang, Limin; Jin, Suming; Danielson, Patrick; Xian, George Z.; Coulston, John; Herold, Nathaniel; Wickham, James; Megown, Kevin

    2015-01-01

    The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) provides nationwide data on land cover and land cover change at the native 30-m spatial resolution of the Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM). The database is designed to provide five-year cyclical updating of United States land cover and associated changes. The recent release of NLCD 2011 products now represents a decade of consistently produced land cover and impervious surface for the Nation across three periods: 2001, 2006, and 2011 (Homer et al., 2007; Fry et al., 2011). Tree canopy cover has also been produced for 2011 (Coluston et al., 2012; Coluston et al., 2013). With the release of NLCD 2011, the database provides the ability to move beyond simple change detection to monitoring and trend assessments. NLCD 2011 represents the latest evolution of NLCD products, continuing its focus on consistency, production, efficiency, and product accuracy. NLCD products are designed for widespread application in biology, climate, education, land management, hydrology, environmental planning, risk and disease analysis, telecommunications and visualization, and are available for no cost at http://www.mrlc.gov. NLCD is produced by a Federal agency consortium called the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium (MRLC) (Wickham et al., 2014). In the consortium arrangement, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) leads NLCD land cover and imperviousness production for the bulk of the Nation; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) completes NLCD land cover for the conterminous U.S. (CONUS) coastal zones; and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) designs and produces the NLCD tree canopy cover product. Other MRLC partners collaborate through resource or data contribution to ensure NLCD products meet their respective program needs (Wickham et al., 2014).

  13. Updated outdoor recreation use values on national forests and other public lands.

    Treesearch

    John Loomis

    2005-01-01

    This report summarizes more than 30 years of the literature on net economic value of outdoor recreation on public lands. The report provides average net willingness to pay or consumer surplus per day for 30 recreation activities at the national level. Values per day by recreation activity are also presented by census region of the United States. Detailed tables provide...

  14. Managing forest products for community benefit

    Treesearch

    Susan Charnley; Jonathan W. Long

    2014-01-01

    Forest products harvesting and use from national forest lands remain important to local residents and communities in some parts of the Sierra Nevada science synthesis area. Managing national forests for the sustainable production of timber, biomass, nontimber forest products, and forage for livestock can help support forestbased livelihoods in parts of the region where...

  15. 78 FR 65962 - Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-11-04

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of cancellation of meeting of the Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board. SUMMARY: The U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Black Hills National Forest cancelled the...

  16. Forest resources of the Kootenai National Forest

    Treesearch

    Andrea M. Wilson; Patrick D. Miles

    2000-01-01

    THe Interior West Resource Inventory, Monitoring, and Evaluation (IWRIME) Program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station (formerly known as the Intermountain Research Station), as part of its national Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) duties, entered into a cooperative agreement with the Northern Region (Region 1) for the inventory of its...

  17. National Satellite Land Monitoring Systems for REDD+ : the UN-REDD support to countries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jonckheere, I. G. C.

    2015-12-01

    REDD+, which stands for 'Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries' - is a climate mitigation effort and aims to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. The UN-REDD Programme, a collaborative partnership between FAO, UNDP and UNEP launched in September 2008, supports nationally-led REDD+ processes and promotes the imeaningful involvement of all stakeholders, including Indigenous Peoples and other forest-dependent communities, in national and international REDD+ implementation.The Programme supports national REDD+ readiness efforts in partner countries spanning Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, in two ways: (i) direct support to the design and implementation of UN-REDD National Programmes; and (ii) complementary support to national REDD+ action through common approaches, analyses, methodologies, tools, data and best practices. The UN-REDD Programme currently supports 62 partner countries. The UN-REDD Programme gathers technical teams from around the world to develop common approaches, analyses and guidelines on issues such as measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of carbon emissions and flows, remote sensing, and greenhouse gas inventories. Within the partnership, FAO supports countries on technical issues related to forestry and the development of cost effective and credible MRV processes for emission reductions. While at the international level, it fosters improved guidance on MRV approaches, including consensus on principles and guidelines for MRV and training programmes. It provides guidance on how best to design and implement REDD, to ensure that forests continue to provide multiple benefits for livelihoods and biodiversity to societies while storing carbon at the same time. Other areas of work include national forest assessments and monitoring

  18. 75 FR 16719 - Information Collection; Forest Landscape Value and Special Place Mapping for National Forest...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-02

    ... Collection; Forest Landscape Value and Special Place Mapping for National Forest Planning AGENCY: Forest... on the new information collection, Forest Landscape Value and Special Place Mapping for National... holidays. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Forest Landscape Value and Special Place Mapping for National...

  19. Examining alternative fuel management strategies and the relative contribution of National Forest System land to wildfire risk to adjacent homes - A pilot assessment on the Sierra National Forest, California, USA

    Treesearch

    Joe H. Scott; Matthew P. Thompson; Julie W. Gilbertson-Day

    2016-01-01

    Determining the degree of risk that wildfires pose to homes, where across the landscape the risk originates, and who can best mitigate risk are integral elements of effective co-management of wildfire risk. Developing assessments and tools to help provide this information is a high priority for federal land management agencies such as the US Forest Service (...

  20. Range management on the National Forests

    Treesearch

    James T. Jardine; Mark Anderson

    1919-01-01

    In the administration of the National Forests the aim is to convey to the greatest possible number the full benefit of all the resources which the Forests contain and at the same time to perpetuate these resources by regulating their use. Accordingly, grazing on the National Forests is regulated with the object of using the grazing resources to the fullest extent...

  1. National Report on Sustainable Forests--2010

    Treesearch

    Guy Robertson; Peter Gaulke; Ruth McWilliams; Sarah LaPlante; Richard Guldin

    2011-01-01

    The United States is richly endowed with forests, and their care and conservation have been a national concern for more than a century. This report, the National Report on Sustainable Forests—2010, provides data and analysis aimed at addressing this concern by enhancing dialogue and decisions in pursuit of the goal of forest sustainability. The report relies on the...

  2. The North American Forest Database: going beyond national-level forest resource assessment statistics.

    PubMed

    Smith, W Brad; Cuenca Lara, Rubí Angélica; Delgado Caballero, Carina Edith; Godínez Valdivia, Carlos Isaías; Kapron, Joseph S; Leyva Reyes, Juan Carlos; Meneses Tovar, Carmen Lourdes; Miles, Patrick D; Oswalt, Sonja N; Ramírez Salgado, Mayra; Song, Xilong Alex; Stinson, Graham; Villela Gaytán, Sergio Armando

    2018-05-21

    Forests cannot be managed sustainably without reliable data to inform decisions. National Forest Inventories (NFI) tend to report national statistics, with sub-national stratification based on domestic ecological classification systems. It is becoming increasingly important to be able to report statistics on ecosystems that span international borders, as global change and globalization expand stakeholders' spheres of concern. The state of a transnational ecosystem can only be properly assessed by examining the entire ecosystem. In global forest resource assessments, it may be useful to break national statistics down by ecosystem, especially for large countries. The Inventory and Monitoring Working Group (IMWG) of the North American Forest Commission (NAFC) has begun developing a harmonized North American Forest Database (NAFD) for managing forest inventory data, enabling consistent, continental-scale forest assessment supporting ecosystem-level reporting and relational queries. The first iteration of the database contains data describing 1.9 billion ha, including 677.5 million ha of forest. Data harmonization is made challenging by the existence of definitions and methodologies tailored to suit national circumstances, emerging from each country's professional forestry development. This paper reports the methods used to synchronize three national forest inventories, starting with a small suite of variables and attributes.

  3. Forest health monitoring: 2009 national technical report

    Treesearch

    Kevin M. Potter; Barbara L. Conkling

    2012-01-01

    The annual national technical report of the Forest Health Monitoring Program of the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, presents forest health status and trends from a national or multi-State regional perspective using a variety of sources, introduces new techniques for analyzing forest health data, and summarizes results of recently completed Evaluation...

  4. Options for sampling and stratification for national forest inventories to implement REDD+ under the UNFCCC

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background Developing countries that are willing to participate in the recently adopted (16th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP) in Cancun) mitigation mechanism of Reducing emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation - and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+) - will have to establish a national forest monitoring system in order to assess anthropogenic forest-related greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks. Such a system should support the Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) requirement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as the REDD+ mechanism is results-based. A national forest inventory (NFI) is one potential key component of such an MRV system. Following the Decision adopted during the 15th Session of the COP in Copenhagen, the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidance and Guidelines should be used as a basis for estimating anthropogenic forest-related greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks and changes in forest carbon stocks and area. Results First, we present the key indispensable elements of the IPCC Guidance and Guidelines that have been developed to fulfil the UNFCCC reporting requirements. This is done in order to set the framework to develop the MRV requirement in which a NFI for REDD+ implementation could be developed. Second, within this framework, we develop and propose a novel scheme for the stratification of forest land for REDD+. Finally, we present some non-exhaustive optional elements within this framework that a country could consider to successfully operationalise and implement its REDD+ NFI. Conclusion Evidently, both the methodological guidance and political decisions on REDD+ under the UNFCCC will continue to evolve. Even so, and considering that there exists decades of experience in setting up traditional NFIs, developing a NFI that a country may

  5. 75 FR 42375 - Kisatchie National Forest Resource Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-07-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Kisatchie National Forest Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Kisatchie National Forest Resource..., Kisatchie National Forest, 2500 Shreveport Highway, Pineville, LA 71360. Comments may also be sent via e...

  6. 76 FR 9740 - Kisatchie National Forest Resource Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-22

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Kisatchie National Forest Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Kisatchie National Forest Resource..., Kisatchie National Forest, 2500 Shreveport Highway, Pineville, LA 71360. Comments may also be sent via e...

  7. The use of space and high altitude aerial photography to classify forest land and to detect forest disturbances

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Aldrich, R. C.; Greentree, W. J.; Heller, R. C.; Norick, N. X.

    1970-01-01

    In October 1969, an investigation was begun near Atlanta, Georgia, to explore the possibilities of developing predictors for forest land and stand condition classifications using space photography. It has been found that forest area can be predicted with reasonable accuracy on space photographs using ocular techniques. Infrared color film is the best single multiband sensor for this purpose. Using the Apollo 9 infrared color photographs taken in March 1969 photointerpreters were able to predict forest area for small units consistently within 5 to 10 percent of ground truth. Approximately 5,000 density data points were recorded for 14 scan lines selected at random from five study blocks. The mean densities and standard deviations were computed for 13 separate land use classes. The results indicate that forest area cannot be separated from other land uses with a high degree of accuracy using optical film density alone. If, however, densities derived by introducing red, green, and blue cutoff filters in the optical system of the microdensitometer are combined with their differences and their ratios in regression analysis techniques, there is a good possibility of discriminating forest from all other classes.

  8. Forest land area estimates from vegetation continuous fields

    Treesearch

    Mark D. Nelson; Ronald E. McRoberts; Matthew C. Hansen

    2004-01-01

    The USDA Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program provides data, information, and knowledge about our Nation's forest resources. FIA regional units collect data from field plots and remotely sensed imagery to produce statistical estimates of forest extent (area); volume, growth, and removals; and health and condition. There is increasing...

  9. Modern fire regime resembles historical fire regime in a ponderosa pine forest on Native American land

    Treesearch

    Amanda B. Stan; Peter Z. Fule; Kathryn B. Ireland; Jamie S. Sanderlin

    2014-01-01

    Forests on tribal lands in the western United States have seen the return of low-intensity surface fires for several decades longer than forests on non-tribal lands. We examined the surface fire regime in a ponderosa pinedominated (Pinus ponderosa) forest on the Hualapai tribal lands in the south-western United States. Using fire-scarred trees, we inferred temporal (...

  10. 36 CFR 261.55 - National Forest System trails.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false National Forest System trails... PROHIBITIONS Prohibitions in Areas Designated by Order § 261.55 National Forest System trails. When provided by... National Forest System trail: (a) Being on a trail. (b) Using any type of vehicle prohibited by the order...

  11. 77 FR 75120 - Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-12-19

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board will... copying. The public may inspect comments received at the Supervisor's Office, Black Hills National Forest...

  12. 76 FR 28949 - Kisatchie National Forest Resource Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-19

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Kisatchie National Forest Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Kisatchie National Forest Resource... begin at 6 p.m. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Kisatchie National Forest Supervisor's Office...

  13. The forest-land owners of Kentucky

    Treesearch

    Thomas W. Birch; Douglas S. Powell

    1978-01-01

    Ninety-two percent of the commercial forest land in Kentucky--11 million acres--is in the hands of some 455,600 private owners. Ninety-four percent of these owners are individuals. The "average" individual owner is in late middle age, has little formal education, receives a modest income, has a farm or rural background, has owned his woodland more than 10...

  14. Temporal change in fragmentation of continental US forests

    Treesearch

    James D. Wickham; Kurt H. Riitters; Timothy G. Wade; Collin Homer

    2008-01-01

    Changes in forest ecosystem function and condition arise from changes in forest fragmentation. Previous studies estimated forest fragmentation for the continental United States (US). In this study, new temporal land-cover data from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) were used to estimate changes in forest fragmentation at multiple scales for the continental US....

  15. 36 CFR 261.21 - National Forest primitive areas.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false National Forest primitive areas. 261.21 Section 261.21 Parks, Forests, and Public Property FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PROHIBITIONS General Prohibitions § 261.21 National Forest primitive areas. The following are...

  16. 78 FR 73187 - Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board (Board... the Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota; and (4) update and report on Mountain Pine Beetle...

  17. 77 FR 8214 - Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-14

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board AGENCY: USDA Forest Service. ACTION: Notice of intent to re-establish the Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board...-establish the Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board (Board). The purpose is to obtain advice and...

  18. Appendix: Assessment of watershed vulnerability to climate change - Pilot National Forest reports

    Treesearch

    Michael J. Furniss; Ken B. Roby; Dan Cenderelli; John Chatel; Caty F. Clifton; Alan Clingenpeel; Polly E. Hays; Dale Higgins; Ken Hodges; Carol Howe; Laura Jungst; Joan Louie; Christine Mai; Ralph Martinez; Kerry Overton; Brian P. Staab; Rory Steinke; Mark Weinhold

    2013-01-01

    Assessment of watershed vulnerability to climate change. Pilot National Forest reports: Gallatin National Forest, Helena National Forest, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests, White River National Forest, Coconino National Forest, Sawtooth National Forest, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Umatilla National Forest, Umatilla National Forest, Ouachita...

  19. A stochastic Forest Fire Model for future land cover scenarios assessment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fiorucci, P.; Holmes, T.; Gaetani, F.; D'Andrea, M.

    2009-04-01

    Land cover change and forest fire interaction under climate and socio-economics changes, is one of the main issues of the 21th century. The capability of defining future scenarios of land cover and fire regime allow forest managers to better understand the best actions to be carried out and their long term effects. In this paper a new methodology for land cover change simulations under climate change and fire disturbance is presented and discussed. The methodology is based on the assumption that forest fires exhibits power law frequency-area distribution. The well known Forest Fire Model (FFM), which is an example of self organized criticality, is able to reproduce this behavior. Starting from this observation, a modified version of the FFM has been developed. The new model, called Modified Forest Fire Model (MFFM) introduces several new features. A stochastic model for vegetation growth and regrowth after fire occurrence has been implemented for different kind of vegetations. In addition, a stochastic fire propagation model taking into account topography and vegetation cover has been introduced. The MFFM has been developed with the purpose of estimating vegetation cover changes and fire regimes over a time windows of many years for a given spatial region. Two different case studies have been carried out. The first case study is related with Liguria (Italy), a region of 5400 km2 lying between the Cote d'Azur, France, and Tuscany, Italy, on the northwest coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. This region is characterized by Mediterranean fire regime. The second case study has been carried out in California (Florida) on a region having similar area and characterized by similar climate conditions. In both cases the model well represents the actual fire regime in terms of power law parameters proving interesting results about future land cover scenarios under climate, land use and socio-economics change.

  20. Agricultural Intensification in the Brazilian Agricultural-Forest Frontier: Land Use Responses to Development and Conservation Policy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Garrett, R.; Koh, I.; le Polain de Waroux, Y.; Lambin, E.; Kastens, J.; Brown, J. C.

    2017-12-01

    Agricultural expansion, extensive cattle ranching, and deforestation remain pressing challenges for sustainable development and climate mitigation throughout South America. In response to these challenges, national and local governments, as well as private and non-governmental actors have developed new forest conservation governance mechanisms. The objective of this study is to better understand how conservation policies interact with supply chain development to influence land use. In particular, we endeavor to understand the timing and spatial patterns of crop and cattle intensification, an understudied phenomenon that is critical to understanding the future of agricultural-forest frontiers and the impacts of conservation policies. We focus on Mato Grosso, the largest soy and cattle producing state in Brazil, which spans the Cerrado and Amazon biomes and has experienced higher levels of deforestation for agricultural expansion than any other state globally over the last decade. Using a newly created spatially explicit data set of land use intensity, supply chain development, and forest policy, we find that agricultural intensification is occurring rapidly in the region, but is only partially driven by changes in conservation policies. The intensification of cattle production is the result of improvements in deforestation monitoring, penalties, and enforcement, and increased land scarcity. Crop intensification, in contrast, preceded increases in conservation restrictions, and is associated with the positive spillovers resulting from agribusiness agglomeration and development. These results suggest that intensification is not a foregone conclusion of increasing forest conservation restrictions, but is highly dependent on wider development processes. A combined effort to direct agribusiness development away from forest regions via tax credits and subsidized credit, when applied in concert with stringent conservation requirements, could help promote intensification

  1. Localizing National Fragmentation Statistics with Forest Type Maps

    Treesearch

    Kurt H. Riitters; John W. Coulston; James D. Wickham

    2003-01-01

    Fragmentation of forest types is an indicator of biodiversity in the Montreal Process, but the available national data permit assessment of only overall forestland fragmentation, not forest type fragmentation. Here we illustrate how to localize national statistics from the 2003 National Report on Sustainable Forests by combining state vegetation maps with national...

  2. Improving Forest Inventory and Analysis efficiency with common land unit information

    Treesearch

    Greg C. Liknes; Mark D. Nelson

    2009-01-01

    The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Northern Research Station Forest Inventory and Analysis program (NRS-FIA) examines inventory locations on digital aerial imagery to determine if the land use at each plot location meets the FIA definition of forest and thereby becomes a field visit site. This manual image-interpretation effort...

  3. A conspiracy of optimism: Sustained yield, multiple use, and intensive management on the national forests, 1945-1991

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hirt, P.W.

    1991-01-01

    This study focuses on two core national forest management policies; sustained yield and multiple use. Public and elected officials attempt to apply principles of sustainable development to publicly-owned forest lands to ensure that a wide variety of both market and nonmarket forest values are preserved for the benefit of present and future generations. Interest groups, the Forest Service, and policy makers have conceived of sustained yield and multiple use in different and evolving ways over the years. This study explores how these principles have been variously defined and either implemented or thwarted. After World War Two, with escalating demands onmore » national forest resources, the US Forest Service turned to intensive management as a technological method of enhancing natural forest productivity and mitigating the environmental effects of increased use. But the agency's optimistic vision of efficient, sustained production of forest commodities through technical mastery over nature has met overwhelming fiscal, environmental, technical, and political obstacles. Changing public values since the 1960s and popularization of ecology have initiated a growing skepticism toward the premises of intensive management.« less

  4. 77 FR 55796 - Sand Lick Fork Watershed Restoration Project; Daniel Boone National Forest, KY

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-09-11

    ... system roads open to highway legal vehicles to administrative use only (includes sections of NFSRs 212... Sand Lick Fork area. The project is located on National Forest System Lands in Powell County, Kentucky...), conversion of 0.9 miles of system road from administrative use only to closed (includes NFSR 2120B and 2120C...

  5. Historic range of variability for upland vegetation in the Medicine Bow National Forest, Wyoming

    Treesearch

    Gregory K. Dillon; Dennis H. Knight; Carolyn B. Meyer

    2005-01-01

    An approach for synthesizing the results of ecological research pertinent to land management is the analysis of the historic range of variability (HRV) for key ecosystem variables that are affected by management activities. This report provides an HRV analysis for the upland vegetation of the Medicine Bow National Forest in southeastern Wyoming. The variables include...

  6. Changing National Forest Values: a content analysis.

    Treesearch

    David N. Bengston; Zhi Xu

    1995-01-01

    Empirically analyzes the evolution of national forest values in recent years. A computerized content analysis procedure was developed and used to analyze the forest value systems of forestry professionals, mainstream environmentalists, and the public. National forest values were found to have shifted significantly over the study period.

  7. Delineating managed land for reporting national greenhouse gas emissions and removals to the United Nations framework convention on climate change.

    PubMed

    Ogle, Stephen M; Domke, Grant; Kurz, Werner A; Rocha, Marcelo T; Huffman, Ted; Swan, Amy; Smith, James E; Woodall, Christopher; Krug, Thelma

    2018-05-29

    Land use and management activities have a substantial impact on carbon stocks and associated greenhouse gas emissions and removals. However, it is challenging to discriminate between anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic sources and sinks from land. To address this problem, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change developed a managed land proxy to determine which lands are contributing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and removals. Governments report all emissions and removals from managed land to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change based on this proxy, and policy interventions to reduce emissions from land use are expected to focus on managed lands. Our objective was to review the use of the managed land proxy, and summarize the criteria that governments have applied to classify land as managed and unmanaged. We found that the large majority of governments are not reporting on their application of the managed land proxy. Among the governments that do provide information, most have assigned all area in specific land uses as managed, while designating all remaining lands as unmanaged. This designation as managed land is intuitive for croplands and settlements, which would not exist without management interventions, but a portion of forest land, grassland, and wetlands may not be managed in a country. Consequently, Brazil, Canada and the United States have taken the concept further and delineated managed and unmanaged forest land, grassland and wetlands, using additional criteria such as functional use of the land and accessibility of the land to anthropogenic activity. The managed land proxy is imperfect because reported emissions from any area can include non-anthropogenic sources, such as natural disturbances. However, the managed land proxy does make reporting of GHG emissions and removals from land use more tractable and comparable by excluding fluxes from areas that are not directly influenced by anthropogenic activity. Moreover

  8. Private forest-land owners of the United States, 1994

    Treesearch

    Thomas W. Birch; Thomas W. Birch

    1996-01-01

    A statistical analytical report on mail canvass of private forest-land owners in the United States. It discusses landowner characteristics, attitudes, harvesting experience, tenure, and management planning.

  9. Land-use systems and resilience of tropical rain forests in the Tehuantepec Isthmus, Mexico.

    PubMed

    García-Romero, Arturo; Oropeza-Orozco, Oralia; Galicia-Sarmiento, Leopoldo

    2004-12-01

    Land-cover types were analyzed for 1970, 1990 and 2000 as the bases for determining land-use systems and their influence on the resilience of tropical rain forests in the Tehuantepec Isthmus, Mexico. Deforestation (DR) and mean annual transformation rates were calculated from land-cover change data; thus, the classification of land-use change processes was determined according to their impact on resilience: a) Modification, including land-cover conservation and intensification, and b) Conversion, including disturbance and regeneration processes. Regeneration processes, from secondary vegetation under extensive use, cultivated vegetation under intensive use, and cultivated or induced vegetation under extensive use to mature or secondary vegetation, have high resilience capacity. In contrast, cattle-raising is characterized by rapid expansion, long-lasting change, and intense damages; thus, recent disturbance processes, which include the conversion to cattle-raising, provoke the downfall of the traditional agricultural system, and nullify the capacity of resilience of tropical rain forest. The land-use cover change processes reveal a) the existence of four land-use systems (forestry, extensive agriculture, extensive cattle-raising, and intensive uses) and b) a trend towards the replacement of agricultural and forestry systems by extensive cattle-raising, which was consolidated during 1990-2000 (DR of evergreen tropical rain forest = 4.6%). Only the forestry system, which is not subject to deforestation, but is affected by factors such as selective timber, extraction, firewood collection, grazing, or human-induced fire, is considered to have high resilience (2 years), compared to agriculture (2-10 years) or cattle-raising (nonresilient). It is concluded that the analysis of land-use systems is essential for understanding the implications of land-use cover dynamics on forest recovery and land degradation in tropical rain forests.

  10. Beaver Colony Density Trends on the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, 1987 - 2013.

    PubMed

    Ribic, Christine A; Donner, Deahn M; Beck, Albert J; Rugg, David J; Reinecke, Sue; Eklund, Dan

    2017-01-01

    The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) is a managed species in the United States. In northern Wisconsin, as part of the state-wide beaver management program, the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest removes beavers from targeted trout streams on U.S. Forest Service lands. However, the success of this management program has not been evaluated. Targeted removals comprise only 3% of the annual beaver harvest, a level of effort that may not affect the beaver population. We used colony location data along Forest streams from 1987-2013 (Nicolet, northeast Wisconsin) and 1997-2013 (Chequamegon, northwest Wisconsin) to assess trends in beaver colony density on targeted trout streams compared to non-targeted streams. On the Chequamegon, colony density on non-targeted trout and non-trout streams did not change over time, while colony density on targeted trout streams declined and then stabilized. On the Nicolet, beaver colony density decreased on both non-targeted streams and targeted trout streams. However, colony density on targeted trout streams declined faster. The impact of targeted trapping was similar across the two sides of the Forest (60% reduction relative to non-targeted trout streams). Exploratory analyses of weather influences found that very dry conditions and severe winters were associated with transient reductions in beaver colony density on non-targeted streams on both sides of the Forest. Our findings may help land management agencies weigh more finely calibrated beaver control measures against continued large-scale removal programs.

  11. Impact of Land Use Change on the Temperate Forest of South Central Chile

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fernandez, A.; Fuentes, R.; Jaque, E.; Fernandez, S.

    2017-12-01

    Chilean temperate forests is a biological hotspot because its high diversity and endemism. Nevertheless, in the last few decades the spatial extent of this forest has been decimated, portraying potentially harmful impacts on the regional biodiversity. In this work, we present our ongoing study on the rate of temperate forest shrinkage and their causes in a section of the BioBío region (37°S), South Central Chile. We derived land cover maps from satellite imagery acquired over 20 years (1990 and 2010) and assessed the effects of changes in land use on native forest. Between 1990 and 2010, there was a 59% reduction in native forest area, which is equivalent to an annual forest loss rate of 4.4% per year. Forest fragmentation was associated with a decrease in forest patch size and proximity, and an increase in the number of forest patches. During this study period native forest loss was correlated with an expansion of plantations of exotic species, which in turn was associated with substantial changes in the spatial configuration of the landscape. We will also present an update of this pattern including the period 2010-2017. The assessment of deforestation and fragmentation provides a basis for future research on the impacts of forest fragmentation on the different components of biodiversity. We suggest that conservation strategies and land use planning are necessary in the study area; this should consider the spatial pattern of native forest patches and the change of these over time at a landscape level.

  12. The Role of Satellite Data for the National Forest Monitoring Systems in the Context of REDD+

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jonckheere, Inge

    2012-04-01

    Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is an effort to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. “REDD+” goes beyond deforestation and forest degradation, and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. In the framework of getting countries ready for REDD+, the UN-REDD Programme assists developing countries to prepare and implement national REDD+ strategies. For the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV), FAO supports the countries to develop national forest monitoring systems (NFMS) based on satellite data that allow for credible MRV of REDD+ activities through time. The UN-REDD Programme through a joint effort of FAO and Brazil's National Space Agency, INPE, is supporting countries to develop cost- effective, robust and compatible national monitoring and MRV systems, providing tools, methodologies, training and knowledge sharing that help countries to strengthen their technical and institutional capacity for effective MRV systems. The Brazilian forest monitoring system, TerraAmazon, which is used as a multi-user basis, allows countries to adapt it to country needs. With the technical assistance of FAO, INPE and other stakeholders, the countries will set up an autonomous operational satellite forest monitoring systems. A beta version and the methodologies of the system for DRC and PNG are launched in Durban (SA) during COP 17, while Paraguay, Zambia and Viet Nam are in development in 2012.

  13. Impacts of changes in land use and fragmentation patterns on Atlantic coastal forests in northern Spain.

    PubMed

    Teixido, Alberto L; Quintanilla, Luis G; Carreño, Francisco; Gutiérrez, David

    2010-01-01

    Changes in forested landscapes may have important consequences for ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation. In northern Spain, major changes in land use occurred during the second half of the 20th century, but their impacts on forests have not been quantified. We evaluated the dynamics of landscape and forest distribution patterns between 1957 and 2003 in Fragas do Eume Natural Park (northwestern Spain). We used orthoimages and a set of standard landscape metrics to determine transitions between land cover classes and to examine forest distribution patterns. Eucalypt plantations showed the greatest increase in area (197%) over time. Furthermore, transitions to eucalypt plantations were found in all major land cover classes. Forest showed a net decline of 20% in total area and represented 30% of the landscape area in 2003. Forest losses were mainly due to eucalypt plantations and the building of a water reservoir, while forest gains were due to increases in shrubland, meadows and cultivated fields which had been recolonised. Forest patch size and core area decreased, and edge length increased over time. In turn, increases were obtained in mean distance between forest patches, and in adjacency to eucalypt plantations and to a water reservoir. These results suggest an increase in forest fragmentation from 1957 to 2003, as well as a change in the nature of the habitat surrounding forest patches. This study shows that land use changes, mostly from eucalypt plantation intensification, negatively affected forested habitats, although some regeneration was ongoing through ecological succession from land abandonment. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Mapping land cover and estimating forest structure using satellite imagery and coarse resolution lidar in the Virgin Islands

    Treesearch

    T.A. Kennaway; E.H. Helmer; M.A. Lefsky; T.A. Brandeis; K.R. Sherill

    2008-01-01

    Current information on land cover, forest type and forest structure for the Virgin Islands is critical to land managers and researchers for accurate forest inventory and ecological monitoring. In this study, we use cloud free image mosaics of panchromatic sharpened Landsat ETM+ images and decision tree classification software to map land cover and forest type for the...

  15. Mapping land cover and estimating forest structure using satellite imagery and coarse resolution lidar in the Virgin Islands

    Treesearch

    Todd Kennaway; Eileen Helmer; Michael Lefsky; Thomas Brandeis; Kirk Sherrill

    2009-01-01

    Current information on land cover, forest type and forest structure for the Virgin Islands is critical to land managers and researachers for accurate forest inverntory and ecological monitoring. In this study, we use cloud free image mosaics of panchromatic sharpened Landsat ETM+ images and decision tree classification software to map land cover and forest type for the...

  16. Integrated services to support detection, prevention and planning of the agricultural-forest-rural land against fires

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scipioni, A.; Tagliaferri, F.

    2009-04-01

    Objective of the document is to define lines of development and distribution of the services to support detection, prevention and planning of the agricultural-forest-rural land against fire. The services will be a valid support on hand of the Regional and National Administrations involved in the agricultural-forest-rural activities (Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policies, National Forest Police, ecc..), through the employment of the SIAN "National Agricultural Informative System", that is the integrated national information system for the entire agriculture, forestry and fisheries Administration. The services proposals would be distributed through the GIS (Geographic Information Systems) of the SIAN: the GIS database is a single nation-wide digital graphic database consisting of: - Ortophotos: Aerial images of approz. 45 km2 each with ground resolution of 50 cm; - Cadastral maps: Land maps; - Thematic layers: Land use and crops identification The GIS services can take full advantage of the benefits of SIAN architectural model designed for best integration and interoperability with other Central and Local P.A. bodies whose main items are: - Integration of information from different sources; - Maintainance of the internal coeherence of any integrated information; - Flexibility with respect to technical or organizational changes The "innovative "services described below could be useful to support the development of institutional tasks of public Agencies and Administrations (es. Regions or Civil Protection agencies) according to than previewed from the D.Lgs. 173/98. Services of support to the management of the phenomenon of wildland fires The activities outlined in below figure, don't have a linear and defined temporal sequence, but a dynamic and time integration. It guarantees not only the integrated use of the various information, but also the value of every product, for level of accuracy, coherence and timeliness of the information. Description of four main

  17. Attribution of Net Carbon Change by Disturbance Type across Forest Lands of the Continental United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hagen, S. C.; Harris, N.; Saatchi, S. S.; Domke, G. M.; Woodall, C. W.; Pearson, T.

    2016-12-01

    We generated spatially comprehensive maps of carbon stocks and net carbon changes from US forestlands between 2005 and 2010 and attributed the changes to natural and anthropogenic processes. The prototype system created to produce these maps is designed to assist with national GHG inventories and support decisions associated with land management. Here, we present the results and methodological framework of our analysis. In summary, combining estimates of net C losses and gains results in net carbon change of 269±49 Tg C yr-1 (sink) in the coterminous US forest land, with carbon loss from harvest acting as the predominent source process.

  18. Multistage variable probability forest volume inventory. [Defiance Unit of the Navajo Nation in Arizona and Colorado

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, J. E. (Principal Investigator)

    1979-01-01

    The net board foot volume (Scribner log rule) of the standing Ponderosa pine timber on the Defiance Unit of the Navajo Nation's forested land was estimated using a multistage forest volume inventory scheme with variable sample selection probabilities. The inventory designed to accomplish this task required that both LANDSAT MSS digital data and aircraft acquired data be used to locate one acre ground splits, which were subsequently visited by ground teams conducting detailed tree measurements using an optical dendrometer. The dendrometer measurements were then punched on computer input cards and were entered in a computer program developed by the U.S. Forest Service. The resulting individual tree volume estimates were then expanded through the use of a statistically defined equation to produce the volume estimate for the entire area which includes 192,026 acres and is approximately a 44% the total forested area of the Navajo Nation.

  19. Timber resource statistics for non-Federal forest land in southwest Oregon.

    Treesearch

    Donald R. Gedney; Patricia M. Bassett; Mary A. Mei

    1986-01-01

    This report summarizes a 1985 timber resource inventory of the non-Federal forest land in the five counties (Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, and Josephine) in southwest Oregon. Detailed tables of forest area, timber volume, growth, mortality, and harvest are presented.

  20. 77 FR 13625 - Notice of Inventory Completion: USDA Forest Service, Daniel Boone National Forest, Winchester, KY

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-07

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR National Park Service [2253-665] Notice of Inventory Completion: USDA Forest Service, Daniel Boone National Forest, Winchester, KY AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Daniel Boone National Forest...

  1. Forest Landscape Assessment Tool (FLAT): rapid assessment for land management

    Treesearch

    Lisa Ciecko; David Kimmett; Jesse Saunders; Rachael Katz; Kathleen L. Wolf; Oliver Bazinet; Jeffrey Richardson; Weston Brinkley; Dale J. Blahna

    2016-01-01

    The Forest Landscape Assessment Tool (FLAT) is a set of procedures and tools used to rapidly determine forest ecological conditions and potential threats. FLAT enables planners and managers to understand baseline conditions, determine and prioritize restoration needs across a landscape system, and conduct ongoing monitoring to achieve land management goals. The rapid...

  2. Land use and land cover (LULC) of the Republic of the Maldives: first national map and LULC change analysis using remote-sensing data.

    PubMed

    Fallati, Luca; Savini, Alessandra; Sterlacchini, Simone; Galli, Paolo

    2017-08-01

    The Maldives islands in recent decades have experienced dramatic land-use change. Uninhabited islands were turned into new resort islands; evergreen tropical forests were cut, to be replaced by fields and new built-up areas. All these changes happened without a proper monitoring and urban planning strategy from the Maldivian government due to the lack of national land-use and land-cover (LULC) data. This study aimed to realize the first land-use map of the entire Maldives archipelago and to detect land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) using high-resolution satellite images and socioeconomic data. Due to the peculiar geographic and environmental features of the archipelago, the land-use map was obtained by visual interpretation and manual digitization of land-use patches. The images used, dated 2011, were obtained from Digital Globe's WorldView 1 and WorldView 2 satellites. Nine land-use classes and 18 subclasses were identified and mapped. During a field survey, ground control points were collected to test the geographic and thematic accuracy of the land-use map. The final product's overall accuracy was 85%. Once the accuracy of the map had been checked, LULCC maps were created using images from the early 2000s derived from Google Earth historical imagery. Post-classification comparison of the classified maps showed that growth of built-up and agricultural areas resulted in decreases in forest land and shrubland. The LULCC maps also revealed an increase in land reclamation inside lagoons near inhabited islands, resulting in environmental impacts on fragile reef habitat. The LULC map of the Republic of the Maldives produced in this study can be used by government authorities to make sustainable land-use planning decisions and to provide better management of land use and land cover.

  3. MASSACHUSETTS MRLC FOREST

    EPA Science Inventory

    The MRLC Forest datalayer is a derivative of the National Land Cover Datalayer (NLCD) developed from Thematic Mapper satellite data acquired by the Multi-Resoultion Land Characterization (MRLC) Consortium. The following landcover classes (with class numbers in parentheses) were...

  4. Forest resources of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest

    Treesearch

    Larry T. DeBlander

    2001-01-01

    The Interior West Resource Inventory, Monitoring, and Evaluation (IWRIME) Program of the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station (formerly the Intermountain Research Station), as part of its national Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) duties, entered into a cooperative agreement with the Northern Region (Region 1) for the inventory of its...

  5. Forest health monitoring: 2006 national technical report

    Treesearch

    Mark J. Ambrose; Barbara L. Conkling

    2009-01-01

    The Forest Health Monitoring Program’s annual national technical report presents results of forest health analyses from a national perspective using data from a variety of sources. The report is organized according to the Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests of the...

  6. Forest health monitoring: 2005 national technical report

    Treesearch

    Mark J. Ambrose; Barbara L. Conkling

    2007-01-01

    The Forest Health Monitoring program's annual national technical report presents results of forest health analyses from a national perspective using data from a variety of sources. The report is organized according to the Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests of the Santiago Declaration. The results...

  7. Forest in My Neighborhood: An Exercise Using Aerial Photos to Engage Students in Forest Ecology & Land Use History

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Matlack, Glenn R.; McEwan, Ryan W.

    2008-01-01

    Human activity has profoundly altered the deciduous forest of the eastern United States. Modern forest is a patchwork of stands of varying ages, sizes, and shapes reflecting a complex history of land use. Much modern forest is nestled in and around human communities, and faces the threat of imminent clearance for residential and commercial…

  8. Changes in development near public forest lands in Oregon and Washington, 1974–2005: implications for management

    Treesearch

    David Azuma; Joel Thompson; Dale Weyermann

    2013-01-01

    Development owing to population increases over the last 30 years has greatly affected forested lands in the United States. To assess and compare increases in development, we counted changes in the number of structures on a systematic grid of photointerpreted points around public forest land in Washington and Oregon. Areas bordering public forest land are showing...

  9. Contribution of Near Real Time MODIS-Based Forest Disturbance Detection Products to a National Forest Threat Early Warning System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spruce, J.; Hargrove, W. W.; Gasser, J.; Smoot, J.; Kuper, P.

    2011-12-01

    maintained by the National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center. The FCAV EWS has been used to aid multiple Federal and State agency forest management activities, including aerial disturbance detection surveys, as well as rapid response preliminary assessments of timber loss due to tornadoes, regional drought studies, and fire damage assessments. The FCAV allows end-users to assess the context of apparent forest vegetation change with respect to ancillary data, such as land cover, topography, hydrology, climate variables, and administrative boundaries. Such change products are being evaluated through case studies involving comparison with higher spatial resolution satellite, aerial, and field data. The presentation will include multiple examples in which regionally evident forest disturbances were successfully detected and monitored with the MODIS-based change products, as part of the FCAV. FCAV's MODIS forest change products enable end-users (e.g., resource managers) to view and monitor forest hazards at regional scales throughout the year and across the nation.

  10. Forest health monitoring: 2007 national technical report

    Treesearch

    Barbara L. Conkling

    2011-01-01

    The Forest Health Monitoring Program produces an annual technical report that has two main objectives. The first objective is to present information about forest health from a national perspective. The second objective is to present examples of useful techniques for analyzing forest health data new to the annual national reports and new applications of techniques...

  11. 75 FR 64617 - National Forest Products Week, 2010

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-20

    ... National Forest Products Week, 2010 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Since... settings for contemplation. As we mark the 50th anniversary of National Forest Products Week, we recognize... our daily lives, from the houses we live in to the paper we write on. National Forest Products Week...

  12. Old growth in northwestern California national forests.

    Treesearch

    Debby Beardsley; Ralph. Warbington

    1996-01-01

    This report estimates old-growth forest area and summarizes stand characteristics of old growth in northwestern California National Forests by forest type. Old-growth definitions for each forest type are used.

  13. 76 FR 28210 - Chippewa National Forest Resource Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-16

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Chippewa National Forest Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Chippewa National Forest Resource... provide advice and recommendations to the Forest Service concerning projects and funding consistent with...

  14. 78 FR 62957 - National Forest Products Week, 2013

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-10-23

    ... National Forest Products Week, 2013 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Our.... During National Forest Products Week, we celebrate the sustainable uses of America's forests and the... forests will be vital to our progress in the years ahead. This week, we recommit to collaborating across...

  15. Contribution of Near Real Time MODIS-Based Forest Disturbance Detection Products to a National Forest Threat Early Warning System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spruce, Joseph P.; Hargrove, William; Glasser, Jerry; Kuper, Philip D.

    2011-01-01

    FCAV EWS has been used to aid multiple Federal and State agency forest management activities, including aerial disturbance detection surveys, as well as rapid response preliminary assessments of timber loss due to tornadoes, regional drought studies, and fire damage assessments. The FCAV allows end-users to assess the context of apparent forest vegetation change with respect to ancillary data, such as land cover, topography, hydrology, climate variables, and administrative boundaries. Such change products are being evaluated through case studies involving comparison with higher spatial resolution satellite, aerial, and field data. The presentation will include multiple examples in which regionally evident forest disturbances were successfully detected and monitored with the MODIS-based change products, as part of the FCAV. FCAV's MODIS forest change products enable end-users (e.g., resource managers) to monitor forest hazards at regional scales throughout the year and across the nation.

  16. Characterizing forest carbon stocks at tropical biome and landscape level in Mount Apo National Park, Philippines

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rubas, L. C.

    2012-12-01

    Forest resources sequester and store carbon, and serve as a natural brake on climate change. In the tropics, the largest source of greenhouse emission is from deforestation and forest degradation (Gibbs et al 2007). This paper attempts to compile sixty (60) existing studies on using remote sensing to measure key environmental forest indicators at two levels of scales: biome and landscape level. At the tropical forest biome level, there is not as much remote sensing studies that have been done as compared to other forest biomes. Also, existing studies on tropical Asia is still sparse compared to other tropical regions in Latin America and Africa. Biomass map is also produced for the tropical biome using keyhole macro language (KML) which is projected on Google Earth. The compiled studies showed there are four indicators being measured using remote sensors in tropical forest. These are biomass, landcover classification, deforestation and cloud cover. The landscape level will focus on Mount Apo National Park in the Philippines which is encompassing a total area of 54,974.87 hectares. It is one of the ten priority sites targeted in the World Bank-assisted Biodiversity Conservation Program. This park serves as the major watershed for the three provinces with 19 major rivers emanating from the montane formations. Only a small fraction of the natural forest that once covered the country remains. In spite of different policies that aim to reduce logging recent commercial deforestation, illegal logging and agricultural expansion pose an important threat to the remaining forest areas. In some locations in the country, these hotspots of deforestation overlap with the protected areas (Verburg et al 2006). The study site was clipped using ArcGIS from the forest biomass carbon density map produced by Gibbs and Brown (2007). Characterization on this national park using vegetation density, elevation, slope, land cover and precipitation will be conducted to determine factors that

  17. Changes in land use, forest fragmentation, and policy responses.

    Treesearch

    Ralph J. Alig; David J. Lewis; Jennifer J. Swenson

    2005-01-01

    Land-use conversion is a primary determinant of environmental change in terrestrial ecosystems. Projections are for more than 50 million acres of U.S. forest to be converted to developed uses (e.g., parking lots) over the next 50 years (Alig et al. 2004, Alig and Plantinga 2004), as the population grows by more than 120 million people. Land use change can lead to...

  18. Tracking our Nation's vital forest resources

    Treesearch

    Southern Research Station USDA Forest Service

    2007-01-01

    Since the 1930s, the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program of the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service has been tracking forest extent, health, vitality, and contributions to the national and global timber supply. Our field, office, and administrative staff are dedicated to helping foresters, wildlife biologists, universities, non-governmental...

  19. Integrating remotely sensed land cover observations and a biogeochemical model for estimating forest ecosystem carbon dynamics

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Liu, J.; Liu, S.; Loveland, Thomas R.; Tieszen, L.L.

    2008-01-01

    Land cover change is one of the key driving forces for ecosystem carbon (C) dynamics. We present an approach for using sequential remotely sensed land cover observations and a biogeochemical model to estimate contemporary and future ecosystem carbon trends. We applied the General Ensemble Biogeochemical Modelling System (GEMS) for the Laurentian Plains and Hills ecoregion in the northeastern United States for the period of 1975-2025. The land cover changes, especially forest stand-replacing events, were detected on 30 randomly located 10-km by 10-km sample blocks, and were assimilated by GEMS for biogeochemical simulations. In GEMS, each unique combination of major controlling variables (including land cover change history) forms a geo-referenced simulation unit. For a forest simulation unit, a Monte Carlo process is used to determine forest type, forest age, forest biomass, and soil C, based on the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data and the U.S. General Soil Map (STATSGO) data. Ensemble simulations are performed for each simulation unit to incorporate input data uncertainty. Results show that on average forests of the Laurentian Plains and Hills ecoregion have been sequestrating 4.2 Tg C (1 teragram = 1012 gram) per year, including 1.9 Tg C removed from the ecosystem as the consequences of land cover change. ?? 2008 Elsevier B.V.

  20. Forest health monitoring: 2008 national technical report

    Treesearch

    Kevin M. Potter; Barbara L. Conkling

    2012-01-01

    The Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) Program’s annual national technical report has three objectives: (1) to present forest health status and trends from a national or a multi-State regional perspective using a variety of sources, (2) to introduce new techniques for analyzing forest health data, and (3) to report results of recently completed evaluation monitoring...

  1. Forest health monitoring: 2003 national technical report

    Treesearch

    John W. Coulston; Mark J. Ambrose; Kurt H. Riitters; Barbara L. Conkling; William D. Smith

    2005-01-01

    The Forest Health Monitoring Program’s annual national reports present results from forest health data analyses focusing on a national perspective. The Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests are used as a reporting framework. This report has five main sections. The first contains introductory material....

  2. Forest-land conversion, ecosystem services, and economic issues for policy: a review

    Treesearch

    Robert A. Smail; David J. Lewis

    2009-01-01

    The continued conversion and development of forest land pose a serious threat to the ecosystem services derived from forested landscapes. We argue that developing an understanding of the full range of consequences from forest conversion requires understanding the effects of such conversion on both components of ecosystem services: products and processes....

  3. A Decade of Annual National Land Cover Products - the Cropland Data Layer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mueller, R.; Johnson, D. M.; Sandborn, A.; Willis, P.; Ebinger, L.; Yang, Z.; Seffrin, R.; Boryan, C. G.; Hardin, R.

    2017-12-01

    The Cropland Data Layer (CDL) is a national land cover product produced by the US Department of Agriculture/National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to assess planted crop acreage on an annual basis. The 2017 CDL product serves as the decadal anniversary for the mapping of conterminous US agriculture. The CDL is a supervised land cover classification derived from medium resolution Earth observing satellites that capture crop phenology throughout the growing season, leveraging confidentially held ground reference information from the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) as training data. The CDL currently uses ancillary geospatial data from the US Geological Survey's National Land Cover Database (NLCD), and Imperviousness and Forest Canopy layers as well as the National Elevation Dataset as training for the non-agricultural domain. Accuracy assessments are documented and released annually with metadata publication. NASS is currently reprocessing the 2008 and 2009 CDL products to 30m resolution. They were originally processed and released at 56m based on the Resourcesat-1 AWiFS sensor. Additionally, best practices learned from processing the FSA ground reference data were applied to the historical training set, providing an enhanced classification at 30m. The release of these reprocessed products in the fall of 2017, along with the 2017 CDL annual product will be discussed and will complete a decade's worth of annual 30m products. Discussions of change and trend analytics as well as partnerships with key industry stakeholders will be displayed on the evolution and improvements made to this decadal geospatial crop specific land cover product.

  4. Quantifying spatial patterns in the Yakama Nation Tribal Forest and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest to assess forest health

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilder, T. F.

    2013-05-01

    Over the past century western United States have experienced drastic anthropogenic land use change from practices such as agriculture, fire exclusion, and timber harvesting. These changes have complex social, cultural, economic, and ecological interactions and consequences. This research studied landscapes patterns of watersheds with similar LANDFIRE potential vegetation in the Southern Washington Cascades physiographic province, within the Yakama Nation Tribal Forest (YTF) and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Naches Ranger District (NRD). In the selected watersheds, vegetation-mapping units were delineated and populated based on physiognomy of homogeneous areas of vegetative composition and structure using high-resolution aerial photos. Cover types and structural classes were derived from the raw, photo-interpreted vegetation attributes for individual vegetation mapping units and served as individual and composite response variables to quantify and assess spatial patterns and forest health conditions between the two ownerships. Structural classes in both the NRD and YTF were spatially clustered (Z-score 3.1, p-value 0.01; Z-score 2.3, p-value 0.02, respectively), however, ownership and logging type both explained a significant amount of variance in structural class composition. Based on FRAGSTATS landscape metrics, structural classes in the NRD displayed greater clustering and fragmentation with lower interspersion relative to the YTF. The NRD landscape was comprised of 47.4% understory reinitiation structural class type and associated high FRAGASTAT class metrics demonstrated high aggregation with moderate interspersion. Stem exclusion open canopy displayed the greatest dispersal of structural class types throughout the NRD, but adjacencies were correlated to other class types. In the YTF, stem exclusion open canopy comprised 37.7% of the landscape and displayed a high degree of aggregation and interspersion about clusters throughout the YTF. Composite cover

  5. Classifying forest and nonforest land on space photographs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Aldrich, R. C.

    1970-01-01

    Although the research reported is in its preliminary stages, results show that: (1) infrared color film is the best single multiband sensor available; (2) there is a good possibility that forest can be separated from all nonforest land uses by microimage evaluation techniques on IR color film coupled with B/W infrared and panchromatic films; and (3) discrimination of forest and nonforest classes is possible by either of two methods: interpreters with appropriate viewing and mapping instruments, or programmable automatic scanning microdensitometers and automatic data processing.

  6. 76 FR 14898 - Daniel Boone National Forest Resource Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-18

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Daniel Boone National Forest Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Daniel Boone National Forest... basement floor. Written comments should be sent to Kimberly Morgan, Daniel Boone National Forest, 1700...

  7. 76 FR 19952 - Davy Crockett National Forest Resource Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-11

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Davy Crockett National Forest Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of Public Meeting, Davy Crockett National Forest Resource Advisory Committee... 1972 (FACA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Davy Crockett National Forest Resource...

  8. 30 CFR 761.13 - Procedures for compatibility findings for surface coal mining operations on Federal lands in...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... surface coal mining operations on Federal lands in national forests. 761.13 Section 761.13 Mineral... surface coal mining operations on Federal lands in national forests. (a) If you intend to rely upon the... national forest, you must request that we obtain the Secretarial findings required by § 761.11(b). (b) You...

  9. 30 CFR 761.13 - Procedures for compatibility findings for surface coal mining operations on Federal lands in...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... surface coal mining operations on Federal lands in national forests. 761.13 Section 761.13 Mineral... surface coal mining operations on Federal lands in national forests. (a) If you intend to rely upon the... national forest, you must request that we obtain the Secretarial findings required by § 761.11(b). (b) You...

  10. 30 CFR 761.13 - Procedures for compatibility findings for surface coal mining operations on Federal lands in...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... surface coal mining operations on Federal lands in national forests. 761.13 Section 761.13 Mineral... surface coal mining operations on Federal lands in national forests. (a) If you intend to rely upon the... national forest, you must request that we obtain the Secretarial findings required by § 761.11(b). (b) You...

  11. 30 CFR 761.13 - Procedures for compatibility findings for surface coal mining operations on Federal lands in...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... surface coal mining operations on Federal lands in national forests. 761.13 Section 761.13 Mineral... surface coal mining operations on Federal lands in national forests. (a) If you intend to rely upon the... national forest, you must request that we obtain the Secretarial findings required by § 761.11(b). (b) You...

  12. 30 CFR 761.13 - Procedures for compatibility findings for surface coal mining operations on Federal lands in...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... surface coal mining operations on Federal lands in national forests. 761.13 Section 761.13 Mineral... surface coal mining operations on Federal lands in national forests. (a) If you intend to rely upon the... national forest, you must request that we obtain the Secretarial findings required by § 761.11(b). (b) You...

  13. Assessing Land Management Change Effects on Forest Carbon and Emissions Under Changing Climate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Law, B. E.

    2014-12-01

    There has been limited focus on fine-scale land management change effects on forest carbon under future environmental conditions (climate, nitrogen deposition, increased atmospheric CO2). Forest management decisions are often made at the landscape to regional levels before analyses have been conducted to determine the potential outcomes and effectiveness of such actions. Scientists need to evaluate plausible land management actions in a timely manner to help shape policy and strategic land management. Issues of interest include species-level adaptation to climate, resilience and vulnerability to mortality within forested landscapes and regions. Efforts are underway to improve land system model simulation of future mortality related to climate, and to develop and evaluate plausible land management options that could help mitigate or avoid future die-offs. Vulnerability to drought-related mortality varies among species and with tree size or age. Predictors of species ability to survive in specific environments are still not resolved. A challenge is limited observations for fine-scale (e.g. 4 km2) modeling, particularly physiological parameters. Uncertainties are primarily associated with future land management and policy decisions. They include the interface with economic factors and with other ecosystem services (biodiversity, water availability, wildlife habitat). The outcomes of future management scenarios should be compared with business-as-usual management under the same environmental conditions to determine the effects of management changes on forest carbon and net emissions to the atmosphere. For example, in the western U.S., land system modeling and life cycle assessment of several management options to reduce impacts of fire reduced long-term forest carbon gain and increased carbon emissions compared with business-as-usual management under future environmental conditions. The enhanced net carbon uptake with climate and reduced fire emissions after thinning

  14. Quantification of land cover and land use within the rural complex of the Democratic Republic of Congo

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Molinario, G.; Hansen, M. C.; Potapov, P. V.; Tyukavina, A.; Stehman, S.; Barker, B.; Humber, M.

    2017-10-01

    The rural complex is the inhabited agricultural land cover mosaic found along the network of rivers and roads in the forest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is a product of traditional small-holder shifting cultivation. To date, thanks to its distinction from primary forest, this area has been mapped as relatively homogenous, leaving the proportions of land cover heterogeneity within it unknown. However, the success of strategies for sustainable development, including land use planning and payment for ecosystem services, such as Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation, depends on the accurate characterization of the impacts of land use on natural resources, including within the rural complex. We photo-interpreted a simple random sample of 1000 points in the established rural complex, using 3106 high resolution satellite images obtained from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, together with 406 images from Google Earth, spanning the period 2008-2016. Results indicate that nationally the established rural complex includes 5% clearings, 10% active fields, 26% fallows, 34% secondary forest, 2% wetland forest, 11% primary forest, 6% grasslands, 3% roads and settlements and 2% commercial plantations. Only a small proportion of sample points were plantations, while other commercial dynamics, such as logging and mining, were not detected in the sample. The area of current shifting cultivation accounts for 76% of the established rural complex. Added to primary forest (11%), this means that 87% of the rural complex is available for shifting cultivation. At the current clearing rate, it would take ~18 years for a complete rotation of the rural complex to occur. Additional pressure on land results in either the cultivation of non-preferred land types within the rural complex (such as wetland forest), or expansion of agriculture into nearby primary forests, with attendant impacts on emissions, habitat loss and other ecosystems services.

  15. 75 FR 64692 - Daniel Boone National Forest Resource Advisory Committee

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-20

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Daniel Boone National Forest Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Daniel Boone National Forest... Boone National Forest, 1700 Bypass Road, Winchester, KY 40391. Comments may also be sent via email to...

  16. Dry season distribution of land crabs, Gecarcinus quadratus (Crustacea: Gecarcinidae), in Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica.

    PubMed

    Griffiths, Megan E; Mohammad, Basma A; Vega, Andres

    2007-03-01

    The land crab Gecarcinus quadratus is an engineering species that controls nutrient cycling in tropical forests. Factors regulating their coastal distribution are not fully understood. We quantified land crab distribution during the dry season at Sirena Field Station in Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica, and found that land crab burrow density decreases with increasing distance from the ocean. Leaf litter depth and tree seedling density are negatively correlated with land crab burrow density. Burrows are strongly associated with sand substrate and burrow density is comparatively low in clay substrate. Results suggest that G. quadratus is limited to a narrow coastal zone with sand substrate, and this distribution could have profound effects on plant community structure.

  17. Forest products cluster development in central Arizona—implications for landscape-scale forest restoration

    Treesearch

    David Nicholls

    2014-01-01

    Since 2004, close to 50,000 ac of hazardous fuels have been mechanically treated in east-central Arizona as part of the USDA Forest Service's first 10-year stewardship project on national forest lands. The need for coordinated wood products and biomass utilization in Arizona is likely to increase as broad-scale restoration treatments across Arizona's national...

  18. Integrating land and resource management plans and applied large-scale research on two national forests

    Treesearch

    Callie Jo Schweitzer; Stacy Clark; Glen Gaines; Paul Finke; Kurt Gottschalk; David Loftis

    2008-01-01

    Researchers working out of the Southern and Northern Research Stations have partnered with two National Forests to conduct two large-scale studies designed to assess the effectiveness of silvicultural techniques used to restore and maintain upland oak (Quercus spp.)-dominated ecosystems in the Cumberland Plateau Region of the southeastern United...

  19. Assessing the INDCs' land use, land use change, and forest emission projections.

    PubMed

    Forsell, Nicklas; Turkovska, Olga; Gusti, Mykola; Obersteiner, Michael; Elzen, Michel den; Havlik, Petr

    2016-12-01

    In preparation for the 2015 international climate negotiations in Paris, Parties submitted Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) expressing each countries' respective post-2020 climate actions. In this paper we assess individual Parties' expected reduction of emissions/removals from land use, land use change, and forest (LULUCF) sector for reaching their INDC target, and the aggregate global effect on the INDCs on the future development of emission and removals from the LULUCF sector. This has been done through analysis Parties' official information concerning the role of LULUCF mitigation efforts for reaching INDC targets as presented in National Communications, Biennial Update Reports, and Additional file 1. On the aggregate global level, the Parties themselves perceive that net LULUCF emissions will increase over time. Overall, the net LULUCF emissions are estimated to increase by 0.6 Gt CO 2 e year -1 (range: 0.1-1.1) in 2020 and 1.3 Gt CO 2 e year -1 (range: 0.7-2.1) in 2030, both compared to 2010 levels. On the other hand, the full implementation of the INDCs is estimated to lead to a reduction of net LULUCF emissions in 2030 compared to 2010 levels. It is estimated that if all conditional and unconditional INDCs are implemented, net LULUCF emissions would decrease by 0.5 Gt CO 2 e year -1 (range: 0.2-0.8) by 2020 and 0.9 Gt CO 2 e year -1 (range: 0.5-1.3) by 2030, both compared to 2010 levels. The largest absolute reductions of net LULUCF emissions (compared to 2010 levels) are expected from Indonesia and Brazil, followed by China and Ethiopia. The results highlights that countries are expecting a significant contribution from the LULUCF sector to meet their INDC mitigation targets. At the global level, the LULUCF sector is expected to contribute to as much as 20% of the full mitigation potential of all the conditional and unconditional INDC targets. However, large

  20. Representative landscapes in the forested area of Canada.

    PubMed

    Cardille, Jeffrey A; White, Joanne C; Wulder, Mike A; Holland, Tara

    2012-01-01

    Canada is a large nation with forested ecosystems that occupy over 60% of the national land base, and knowledge of the patterns of Canada's land cover is important to proper environmental management of this vast resource. To this end, a circa 2000 Landsat-derived land cover map of the forested ecosystems of Canada has created a new window into understanding the composition and configuration of land cover patterns in forested Canada. Strategies for summarizing such large expanses of land cover are increasingly important, as land managers work to study and preserve distinctive areas, as well as to identify representative examples of current land-cover and land-use assemblages. Meanwhile, the development of extremely efficient clustering algorithms has become increasingly important in the world of computer science, in which billions of pieces of information on the internet are continually sifted for meaning for a vast variety of applications. One recently developed clustering algorithm quickly groups large numbers of items of any type in a given data set while simultaneously selecting a representative-or "exemplar"-from each cluster. In this context, the availability of both advanced data processing methods and a nationally available set of landscape metrics presents an opportunity to identify sets of representative landscapes to better understand landscape pattern, variation, and distribution across the forested area of Canada. In this research, we first identify and provide context for a small, interpretable set of exemplar landscapes that objectively represent land cover in each of Canada's ten forested ecozones. Then, we demonstrate how this approach can be used to identify flagship and satellite long-term study areas inside and outside protected areas in the province of Ontario. These applications aid our understanding of Canada's forest while augmenting its management toolbox, and may signal a broad range of applications for this versatile approach.