Land and Water Use - Environmental Science - page 88

future fire's fuel, making a future fire less intense. However, if underbrush accumulates over a long period of
time, as it did under the former Forest Service policy of fire suppression, the forest can be more prone to a lar-
ger, more devastating fire. Now, rather than suppressing fire, many areas use prescribed burns or controlled
burns to help maintain forests.
Forest Management
Timber harvesting methods have improved their ability to keep ecosystems stable. Previously, timber was har-
vested only through clear-cutting, or taking all trees in an area and leaving nothing standing. This process des-
troys habitat and can lead to the issues of deforestation previously noted. When secondary growth does begin,
if unmanaged, the new developing ecosystem can still be very different from the initial, native habitat. While
clear-cutting is still used, other harvesting methods are gaining popularity.
Shelterwood systems leave a low number of full-grown trees in order to create shelter for emergent seedlings.
Cutting is done on a regular basis with select tress taken each time. The mix of large and small trees provides
continual coverage. In contrast, the seed-tree method leaves only mature and seed-producing trees standing,
providing the seeds necessary for the regrowth of harvested trees. Both the shelterwood and seed-tree ap-
proaches are similar to clear-cutting in that many trees are taken and much of the land is left bare. With the se-
lection system, though, most trees are left standing while only a few are harvested from an area at a time. This
allows for uneven-aged stands of trees and reduces the impact on habitats and ecosystems.
National Forests
In the United States, the government has taken many actions to protect and preserve forest ecosystems. In
1905, the U.S. Forest Service was established to manage and conserve the nation's forests, with the goal of
managing the timber resources for both use and ecosystem preservation. In response to the declining timber re-
sources throughout the country, the U.S. National Forest System was created and is managed by the U.S.
Forest Service. Also, the National Forest Management Act was passed in 1976 by the U.S. Congress, directing
every national forest to have a resource management plan.
Australia, Canada, Brazil, India, Japan, the Philippines, and many other nations are working toward reducing
deforestation as well. Also, in May 2010, at the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference in Norway, approximately
50 countries signed the REDD+ Partnership, aimed at reducing emissions from deforestation and forest de-
gradation.
Rangelands
Rangelands are large expanses of undeveloped land containing primarily low vegetation such as grasses and
shrubs, and are suitable for grazing of livestock. Throughout the world, cattle, goats, and sheep are necessary
for the survival of many people and cultures, both for food and for the economic value of the animals. Com-
monly, these animals are grazed on rangeland. If not managed properly, though, these lands can become over-
used and degraded, ultimately negatively impacting the local environment along with the people and animals
that depend on the land.
Overgrazing