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New housing poses a threat to private forests. Private Forests, Public Benefits, a new report by the USDA Forest Service, states that housing density will increase on more than 57 million acres of America’s private rural forests from 2000 to 2030.
According to the report, in many areas the impacts of increased housing density are likely to be exacerbated by additional threats such as wildfire, insect pests and diseases, and air pollution. The report states that more than half (56 percent-more than 420 million acres) of America’s private forests are privately owned and provide a vast array of public goods and services, such as clean water, timber, wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities.
Private forests are experiencing increases in housing density in every region of the United States, according to the report. Development pressure will continue as the U.S. population is projected to increase by at least another 80 million people by 2030.
I notice this increase in housing when I travel up north to my favorite hiking spot in the Manistee National Forest, located 15 minutes north of Baldwin, Michigan. What used to be a secluded oasis is now more crowded with the proliferation of homes, bringing an increase in vehicle traffic and loss of seclusion.
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USFS: Housing Poses Threat To Forests
New government report: Housing poses threat to private forests
The Report
Private Forests, Public Benefits
Preserve Your Forest Land
Conservation Easements
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