12

Grasslands, Forests, and

Wilderness: Sustainable

Management Strategies

Chapter Outline

The Tragedy of the Commons

Rangelands and Range Management: Protecting the World’s Grasslands

An Introduction to Rangeland Ecology

The Condition of the World’s Rangeland

Rangeland Management: A Sustainable Approach

Revamping Government Policies

Sustainable Livestock Production

Forests and Forest Management

Status Report on the World’s Forests

Root Causes of Global Deforestation

An Introduction to Forest Harvest and Management

Creating a Sustainable System of Forestry

Wilderness and Wilderness Management

Why Save Wilderness?

Preservation: The Wilderness Act

Sustainable Wilderness Management

Key Terms

communal resources commons rangelands

grasslands basal zone metabolic reserve

range management deferred grazing feedlots

deforestation clear-cutting surface runoff

sublimation mychorrizal fungi selective cutting

strip cutting shelter-wood cutting sustainable forestry

second growth forests crown fire prescribed burns

primary forests wilderness primitive areas

wilderness areas

Objectives

1. Describe the “tragedy of the commons” and its message for management of public lands.

2. Define “rangeland,” “basal zone,” and “metabolic reserve.”

3. List the principles of sustainable rangeland management.

4. Discuss the root causes of deforestation.

5. Summarize how government policies concerning forestry have contributed to deforestation.

6. List the methods of harvesting forests.

7. Discuss the four measures required to create a sustainable system of wood production.

8. Define the following terms: “sustainable forestry,” “prescribed fires,” “crown fires,” and “primary forests.”

9. Summarize the legislation affecting “wilderness areas” in the United States.

10. List what you can you personally to protect rangeland, forests and wilderness.

Lecture Outline

The Tragedy of the Commons

A. A commons is any public commodity or resource.

B. The tragedy of the commons is that individuals are compelled to abuse a commons in pursuit of personal gain.

C. Privately-owned land is often similarly abused; again, the lure of short-term profits compels some to ignore long-term damage.

Rangelands and Range Management: Protecting the World’s Grasslands - Rangelands and their products are potentially renewable resources, if properly managed; if not, they can be ruined.

A. An Introduction to Rangeland Ecology

1. Grasses form the base of the food chain on rangelands. Grasses are adapted to periodic fire, drought, and grazing so long as care is taken to protect the metabolic reserve of the plant.

B. Rangeland Deterioration - Most rangeland in the U.S., both federal and private, has deteriorated due to overuse and mismanagement.

C. Rangeland Management: A Sustainable Approach

1. Controlling Livestock Numbers - Rangeland and pasture use must be adjusted according to the carrying capacity of the land, which varies from one year to the next with the weather.

2. Deferred Grazing - Cattle can be withheld from rangeland to permit grasses to mature and produce seeds. This method enhances rangeland and may increase the carrying capacity in the long run.

3. Controlling the Distribution of Livestock - Careful distribution of water sources and salt lick can help promote a more uniform use of rangeland and protect some areas from serious degradation.

4. Restoring and Improving the Quality of Rangeland - Restoration of grasslands is an essential element of building a sustainable system of production. Periodic burning can also be used to increase rangeland productivity.

5. Revamping Government Policies

a. The Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978 was a first step towards reducing damage and developing sustainable rangeland management practices in the U.S.

b. The Public Rangelands Improvement Act requires the Bureau of Land Management and the United States Forest Service to reduce grazing on public land where damage is evident.

D. Sustainable Livestock Production - In many countries, livestock are raised in pens and fed grains that could be used to feed large numbers of people. In many countries meat production may have to be reduced to accommodate the food demands of a growing population.

Forests and Forest Management - Forests provide tremendous social, economic, and environmental benefits. Despite their importance to us, forests are in a state of decline.

A. Status Report on the World’s Forests

1. Worldwide, about one-third of the world’s forests have been cut.

2. Deforestation continues today with tremendous losses in some areas: 32 million hectares (78 million acres) of tropical rain forests are leveled each year. At the current rate of harvest China will lose all of its commercial forests within 10 years.

3. The deforested land is too often converted to other uses, mostly farming. In developing countries, for every 10 trees cut only 1 tree is replanted.

4. Deforestation not only destroys habitat for many species but also decreases sustainable fuel supplies needed for cooking and home heating in some areas.

B. Root Causes of Global Deforestation - Many factors contribute to the continuing pattern of deforestation including:

1. Population Growth - Today 25%-60% of the annual tropical deforestation is attributed to humans in search of sustenance.

2. Poverty - A natural response to poverty is movement into forested areas to eke out a living.

3. Inequitable Land Ownership - In developing nations prime agricultural land may be owned by a small number of people. Poor rural peasants often seek the forested areas for farming and clear the land.

4. Unsustainable Government Policies

a. Governments have typically sold timber below market value to logging companies.

b. Many economic policies encourage unsustainable exploitation of the forests.

i. Many developing countries restrict the export of raw wood by international companies in the desire to keep jobs in their own countries. Many of the lumber mills in these countries are inefficient and use 50% more logs than the industry standard thereby encouraging more deforestation.

ii. Short-term contracts are encouraged by companies even though a longer time is necessary for the forest to recover after harvesting.

iii. Heavy foreign debt in some nations encourages excessive timber harvest to pay back loans.

iv. Government tax policies often encourage deforestation. In Brazil, the government once offered huge income tax credits to investors in cattle ranches, once a leading cause of deforestation in the Amazon. The Canadian government has encouraged deforestation with little controls for environmental quality. Currently, this is threatening forests in western Canada and has endangered important salmon fisheries and grizzly bear habitat.

C. An Introduction to Forest Harvest and Management - Trees are harvested primarily in four ways:

1. Clear-cutting - Clear-cutting is the complete removal of trees from a tract of land. While sometimes benefiting certain game species, this practice more often damages habitat by accelerating erosion, surface runoff, and sedimentation.

2. Strip-Cutting – Clear-cutting can be carried out on a smaller scale to minimize visual and environmental impacts.

3. Selective Timber Cutting - Selective cutting involves the removal of select trees from an otherwise more-or-less intact forest. Properly employed, selective harvesting is the least environmentally destructive method of tree harvest, though improper application may damage a forest immediately and over the long term.

4. Shelter-wood Cutting - This is a type of selective harvesting where poor-quality tress are first removed from mixed timber stands leaving the healthiest trees intact. Once seedlings from the existing stand become established, loggers remove a portion of the commercially valuable mature trees leaving enough in place to provide shade for the seedlings. When the seedlings become saplings the remaining mature trees are harvested.

D. Creating a Sustainable System of Forestry - Four general measures are required to create a sustainable system of forestry:

1. Reducing Demand

a. Reducing the growth of the human population would reduce pressure on the world’s forests.

b. Wood can be saved by using thinner saw blades, improved machinery to grind up logs, and other innovative technologies.

c. Reducing consumption of wood products by increasing construction/design efficiencies.

d. Recycling of wood and paper products.

e. The use of alternative building materials (composite beams, straw bales, etc.).

2. Managing Forests and Tree Farms Sustainably

a. Clear-cutting should be more carefully regulated and reseeding programs carefully monitored.

b. Forests should be protected from natural hazards.

c. Prescribed burns and thinning techniques should be used to create a healthier, more diverse forest.

3. Saving Primary Forests/Creating Forest Preserves

a. Saving uncut or primary forests helps protect biodiversity but also protects nearby harvested forests from outbreaks of pests.

4. Restoring Forestland - Restoration is a key principle of sustainability and vital to continued timber production.

Wilderness and Wilderness Management - Large tracts of wilderness exist today but pressure is mounting to develop many of these pristine areas.

A. Why Save Wilderness? Wilderness holds a variety of values for us, including aesthetic, recreational, economic, and spiritual benefits.

B. Preservation: The Wilderness Act - Passed in 1964, the Wilderness Act seeks to preserve certain lands in perpetual wilderness.

C. Sustainable Wilderness Management

1. Many popular wilderness areas are pressured by high levels of human use.

2. Crowding and the environmental degradation from overuse can be reduced or eliminated by some of the following suggestions:

a. Campers can be educated on ways to lessen their impact.

b. Access to overused areas can be restricted.

c. Permits can be issued to control the number of users.

d. Campsites can be designated to prevent additional damage.

e. Information can be disseminated about areas that receive less use.

f. Trails can be improved to promote underutilized areas.

3. Globally, interest in wilderness protection is growing. Ecotourism can provide a powerful incentive to protect wilderness in less developed nations.

Suggestions for Presenting the Chapter

· If you have a National Forest nearby, a visit to the office and a tour is an excellent exercise.

· If you cannot visit a forest (state or national) then you can obtain materials by contacting the state agency in charge or the Forest Service. Free publications including visitor maps and management plans are available at no cost by contacting the U.S. Forest Service.

· A fieldtrip to a National Wildlife Refuge or Wilderness Area is another excellent choice to illuminate the management concepts discussed in the text.

· Many western states have grassland areas managed by the Bureau of Land Management or Forest Service. These are excellent areas to visit and maps/information are readily available. If you cannot visit one of these areas contact the BLM or Forest Service for details and information or visit their Web sites.