The U.S. Forest Service has recently released an impressive 50 page report titled "Cooperating Across Boundaries - Partnerships to Conserve Open Space in Rural America." Some of the finding in the report include:
* Rate of open space loss in the United States per day, in acres - 6,000
* Rate of open space loss per minute, in acres - 4
* Open space loss to development between 1992 to 1997 in square miles - 24,000 square miles, the size of West Virginia.
* Open space projected to be developed by 2020 in square miles - 100,000 square miles, the size of California.
* Amount of private forestland lost to development from 1982-1997, in acres: 10 million.
* Net amount of forest projected to be developed from 1997 to 2030, in acres: 26 million.
The report also includes case studies and potential policy initiative to help address this important conservation issue. To access the report, go to - http://www.fs.fed.us/news/2006/releases/08/open-space.shtml
No comments:
Post a Comment