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Human and Nature Interactions: A Dynamic Land Base of Many Goods and Services

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Availability of land is fundamental for sustainable forestry, providing the basis for the production of a wide array of goods and services (for example, biodiversity, forest carbon sequestration). This paper summarizes types of land-related data contained in major U.S. data bases, and gives examples of how such data were used in projecting changes in forest area for use in regional and national studies of forest sustainability. Forest land values are discussed, considering a variety of geographic, biological, regulatory, economic, and social situations. Forest land values provide informational signals on what amounts and types of forest land are likely and prospects for the provision of mixes of land-based goods and services. Urbanization is related to population growth and affects timberland values, forest fragmentation, forest parcelization, and ownership changes. Advances in data management and processing (for example, GIS) have allowed for advances in forest land analyses. Emerging issues include impacts of any developing markets for forest-based goods and services, such as forest carbon.

Parent Publication

Keywords

monitoring, assessment, sustainability, Western Hemisphere, sustainable management, ecosystem resources, land-related data

Citation

Alig, Ralph J. 2006. Human and Nature Interactions: A Dynamic Land Base of Many Goods and Services. In: Aguirre-Bravo, C.; Pellicane, Patrick J.; Burns, Denver P.; and Draggan, Sidney, Eds. 2006. Monitoring Science and Technology Symposium: Unifying Knowledge for Sustainability in the Western Hemisphere Proceedings RMRS-P-42CD. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 376-384
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/26433