Northern Forest Lands Study of New England and New York. A Report to the Congress of the United States on the Recent Changes in Landownership and Land Use in the Northern Forest of Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont

摘要

In 1988, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service was directed by Congress to study the timberland resources in northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine and to identify and assess: (1) forest resources, including timber, fish and wildlife, lakes and rivers, and recreation; (2) historical landownership patterns and projected future landownership, management, and use; (3) the likely impacts of changes in land and resource ownership, management, and use patterns; and (4) alternative strategies to protect the long-term integrity and traditional uses of land. Congress specifically stated that the study was not intended to lead to administrative action by any federal agency, but rather to provide Congress and the affected state governments with information for possible future action. Identification of the most important land and resources is a crucial step in developing a program to protect the integrity of the region. The Governors' Task Force and the Forest Service defined a set of criteria to identify important resources and to set priorities and guide conservation efforts in the region.