Current and Future Roles of the USFS from a State Perspective
Bill StewartCDF Fire and Resource
Assessment Program (FRAP)
Guiding management philosophies of USFS, Congress, and the Public
Organic ActWeeks ActMultiple UsePublic Use“My backyard” syndromeForest and Range Sustainability
Three different roles of the USFS in California
National Forests
Research Organization
Financial support for state and private forestry
A Californian’s perspectives
• As forest, shrub, and woodland habitats• As examples of land use zoning• As timberlands• As key watersheds• As burnable landscapes• As recreational lands• As examples of sustainable forests
Type of Wildland
Area (million acres)
Pct USFS
Forests 23.7 50%Shrubs 14.6 40%Woodlands 7.5 20%Desert 23.5 1%All Wildlands 80.5 24%
By Management Class
19% Reserve
67% Working
11% Irrigated
3% Urban
National Forests as part of a timber production system
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Am
eric
an Eel
Ker
n
Los
Ang
eles
Moj
ave
New
Ow
ens P
it
Sal
inas
San
Lui
s R
ey
San
ta A
na
Trin
ityRiver basin
Area
of
Man
agem
ent
Land
scap
e cla
ss
(%)
Reserve
Working/Public
Working/Private
Rural Residential
Agriculture
Urban
Land Uses in Shared Watersheds
Fire threat USFS is one of the many owners of flammable California
USFS role in reducing the negative impacts of large, damaging fires
Prescribed Burn in the Santa Ana Watershed
USFS as a neighbor to communities and metropolitan
areas
USFS as the #1 provider of outdoor recreational opportunities
Wildland Owner Area Use Days
USFS 45% 45%State Parks 3% 24%National Parks 16% 10%Regional Parks 1% 9%BLM 34% 7%DFG 1% 5%
Intensity of recreational use on National Forests
LocationArea in
Million acresUse days/
Acre
Metro Forests 3 4Non-Metro
Forests 11 1Wilderness 6 0.4
Sustainable Forestry and the USFS
As citizens:
• We are consumers of forest commodities and ecosystem services
• We oversee the stewards of the landscape• We need to consider the multiple facets of
forests– economic, environmental, and social
Potential analogs for the USFS in the 21st Century
• One ownership, one uniform plan • Managers of a balanced portfolio like a
good retirement plan • A big piece of a global approach to
sustainable forestry
