Do Now

What are examples of private (individual) and public (collective) ownership of land and other objects?

Land Use Management in USA

Land Use Agencies

Read the handout your group has been given.

Take notes on the responsibilities of the agency.

You will be presenting that information to the class.

Question to think about: How might the goals of each agency conflict with others?

A Guide to Your National Forests Look at the information on the

handout. Answer the following questions: What does the Forest Service do? How are National Forests used?

Some important definitions: Multiple Use: Use of land for more than one purpose Example: Allowing both hiking and logging in National

Forests Sustained Yield: Limited use/production of a

resource that allows that resource to be replenished instead of depleted Example: Limiting the number of trees that can be

removed from a forest in a certain time period Renewable Resource: any resource that can be

replenished naturally with the passage of time. Examples: Wood, solar energy, water

Stewardship: the overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving Example: Protecting an endangered species from going

extinct

Land Use on Public Lands

In your groups, create a list of the activities and land uses permissible on public lands categorize items under “recreational”

and “commercial” How does each of these activities

impact the other? Complete the matrix with a partner.

School Survey

Walk around the school campus. Map land uses on campus and document potential problems and conflicts.

Think about the following questions: How has the physical environment been

altered to accommodate human uses? Who makes decisions about how the space is

used? What individuals or groups influence

decisions about land uses and activities? Are there conflicts evident? How can they be

resolved to the satisfaction of all?

How Humans Use Land Rangeland: for grazing food animals Forest Land: harvesting wood, wildlife,

fish Cropland: land for growing plants Parks and Preserves: Recreation and

preserving wilderness and wildlife Wetlands, mountains, deserts: difficult

for humans to use Urban Land: used for houses,

businesses, roads, and other.

Rangeland

Very important for food supply Urban development is threatening

farmland and grassland Overgrazing: allowing animals to

graze more than the land can take Sustaining rangeland:

Limiting herd sizes Allow recovery time in between uses

Managed by Department of Agriculture

Forests

On average, people in the USA use 3.5 times more wood than other people around the world

Harvesting trees:

Clear Cutting Selective Cutting

Deforestation: Clearing trees without replacing them

Cropland

USA has over 200 million acres of cropland

Urban development is taking over agricultural lands

Bad farming practices cause land to degrade: Case Study: The Dust Bowl

What did the farmers do to cause this? What natural event made it worse? What helped us come out of the dust bowl?

Urbanization

People moving from rural areas (country) to cities

Problems in Cities: traffic jams, increased poverty, and polluted

air and water Problems Around Cities:

Urban sprawl: Rapid expansion of the city into the country

Development on land prone to landslides or flooding

Heat Islands: hotter temps in cities because of concrete and glass

Heat Island Lab The buildings, concrete, asphalt, and

glass of cities can cause them to be up to 10 degrees warmer than natural areas.

Your pair will be assigned an area around the school to measure. Take your thermometer out to this area and

hold it at waist height for 4 minutes. Record the final temperature, and bring it

back to the classroom. Does our school seem to have a heat

island effect?