Research Natural Areas on Your National Forests and Grasslands

摘要

The early objectives of the USDA Forest Service (USFS), as a multiple-use land management agency, are probably most familiar to the American public. The agency's original mandates, set forth initially in the Organic Administration Act of 1897, include such goals as the provision of clean water and a sustainable timber supply to the citizens of the United States. Much less well known, perhaps, is that the USFS now also manages one of the largest natural area programs in the country. This program, which officially designates Research Natural Areas (RNAs) on National Forest System (NFS) lands, is one of the oldest formal programs in the USFS. The first USFS RNA to be designated was the Santa Catalina RNA on the Coronado National Forest in Arizona, which was established in 1927. The USFS RNA program has seen steady growth and development ever since that time.