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Bellringer. Why does wilderness need to be preserved? Why shouldn’t we consider the needs of humans first? Why don’t we consider only our short-term needs and worry about the consequences later?. Land Management and Conservation Section 14.3. Objectives:
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Bellringer • Why does wilderness need to be preserved? • Why shouldn’t we consider the needs of humans first? • Why don’t we consider only our short-term needs and worry about the consequences later?
Land Management and ConservationSection 14.3 Objectives: Describe ways to preserve farmland, rangeland, and forest land. Explain the functions of parks and wilderness areas.
Main Categories of Rural Land • Farmland • Rangeland • Forest land • National and State Parks • Wilderness
Farmland • Used to grow crops and fruit • Provides an important oxygen source • Moderates temperatures • National Farmland Protection Program helps protect farmland in danger of being paved over or developed.
Rangeland • Land that supports different vegetation types and that is not used for farming or timber production (anything from deserts to swamp land) • Most common use is for grazing of livestock, so essential for world’s food supply
Rangeland (cont.) • Problems • Overgrazing – allowing more animals to graze than the land can support • Once plants are gone (due to overgrazing), soil can erode.
Rangelands (cont.) • Maintaining the Range • Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978: aims to improve land management practice. • Leave land unused to let vegetation recover. • Limit herd sizes to prevent overgrazing. • Killing invasive plants and replanting native plants • Dig several small watering holes to spread herds out over larger areas.
Forest Lands • Harvesting trees • Clear-cutting: removing ALL trees from an area of land • Destroys wildlife habitats • Causes soil erosion • Selective cutting: cutting and removing only middle-aged or mature trees • More expensive • Less destructive – minimizes impact on the forest
Forest Land (cont.) • Deforestation: clearing trees from the land and not replacing them • Reduces wildlife habitats • Soil erosion • Local climate change • Usually happens as populations expand and need more land for homes, businesses, and roads • Reforestation: replanting to re-establish trees that have been cut down in a forest land
Parks and Preserves • 1870 – Yosemite became the first national park • Wilderness: an area in which the land and its ecosystems are protected from ALL exploitation • These protected areas are still threatened by growing populations: • trash from visitors • water and air pollution from surrounding areas • climate changes