The American people own 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, totaling more than 191 million acres. These lands can be found in 40 states plus Puerto Rico, with 87 percent of national forest land having a home in the West. These lands are managed for “multiple use” by the Forest Service, a branch of the Department of Agriculture.
National Forests contain valuable habitat for fish and wildlife (including many endangered species), watersheds that provide clean water for many communities in the West, and some of the finest recreation areas in the country. Nearly 60 million acres of the most pristine national forest land was protected under the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Ever since, the current Administration has been trying to gain access to and reverse protections for these last remaining unroaded forests. Find out more about roadless areas and our work to protect them.
Our Forest Vision
The Wilderness Society has developed a Forest Vision that advocates a new paradigm in National Forest management focusing primarily on protecting and restoring ecosystems in order to provide non-commodity values such as pure water and biological diversity.
>> More about our Forest Vision.
Forest Management
A key component of the Bush Administration's anti-conservation agenda is to change federal regulations - proposals that usually do not make it to the front page of the newspaper, but which can fundamentally change how forests are managed and how the public can weigh in on management decisions. Over the past 6 years, the Administration has been rewriting the laws and regulations that protect our National Forests. Most recently, on December 12, 2006, the Bush Administration announced that it will exclude forest management plans from the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act.
>> Read more about the Administration's plan to dispense with environmental impact statements and limit public involvement.
Forest Management Planning
The U.S. Forest Service is developing management plans for all of its 177 National Forests and Grasslands, a process it must do every 10-15 years. This is an opportunity for the agency to assess each national forest, evaluate past practices and forest uses, and propose areas for wilderness designation. But proposed management plans are clearly tipped in favor of industry demands -- ignoring conservation goals in the process.
>> Visit our Forest Planning Center for more information.
