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Decision-Making: Coordinating Bodies
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the leading US agency charged with implementing US policies for the provision of food, fiber and forest products. This includes responsibility for research, development, and dissemination of knowledge about managed ecosystems and sustainable methods of producing food, fiber, and forest products. To accomplish this mission, the USDA works with many other groups including the President's Council on Sustainable Development, the National Science and Technology Council, the Committee on Food Safety and Health, other Federal agencies, State agricultural and forest experiment stations, State land-grant colleges and universities, extension services, non-profit organizations, among others. A number of associations and non-governmental organizations (NGOS) are involved in the process associated with USDA programmes as well as the legislative process pertaining to the periodic domestic agricultural legislation ("farm bills") developed and enacted by the Congress, in consultation with the Administration.
Decision-Making: Legislation and Regulations
The 1990 "Farm Bill", the US Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 USE 3101) defined sustainable agriculture as "an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term, satisfy human food and fiber needs; enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agriculture economy depends; make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls; sustain the economic viability of farm operation; and enhance the quality of life for farmers and members of rural communities, and society as a whole." The USDA policy on sustainable development (SM 9500-6), established in 1996, states: "USDA will balance goals of improved production and profitability, stewardship of the natural resource base and ecological system, and enhancement of the vitality of rural communities."
The US government continuously reviews policy, research programmes, extension programmes and other activities related to food, fiber, and forestry production, marketing and consumption. The most recent national legislation on agricultural and rural development was the 1996 Farm Bill (the Federal Agricultural and Improvement Act). This legislation extended the Conservation Reserve and Wetland Reserve Programmes until the year 2002. It also established the Environmental Quality Incentives Programme (EQIP) which combines functions of earlier conservation programmes, and improving community-based priority-setting for natural resources problems at the watershed level, including criteria for funding. Examples of critical resource issues which are being addressed include water quality, salinization, nutrient management, livestock management, water conservation, and soil erosion.
The US government began national efforts to slow farmland loss and protect important agricultural lands with the passage of the Farmland Protection Policy Act in 1981. Federal regulations to implement the law were finally adopted in 1994. The 1996 Farm Bill created the Farmland Protection Programme, which provides matching federal funds for State and local farmland protection programmes. This programme compensates farmers for voluntarily limiting future development on their land through a "conservation easement." The programme enables landowners to sell development rights on their land to a government agency while retaining full ownership. A Farmland Information Center (FIC) was also established to provide information resources to federal, state, and local officials, conservation professionals, farmers and ranchers, agricultural organizations and concerned citizens. The FIC is available through the Internet at: http://www.farmlandinfo.org; technical assistance staff are available by phoning: 413-586-4593.
The periodic re-authorization of US national agricultural legislation (the "Farm Bill") has provided opportunities to improve national land conservation and rehabilitation efforts. The 1996 Farm Bill simplified several existing conservation programmes and created new programmes to assist landowners in addressing high-priority national environmental protection goals.
Decision-Making: Strategies, Policies and Plans
In 1996, USDA further committed all USDA agencies toward integrating economic, environmental, and social sustainability into all policies and programmes, particularly through interagency collaboration, partnerships, and outreach. A Director of Sustainable Development was appointed to represent USDA in both domestic and international arenas on issues relating to sustainable development.
In early 1999, The US released a National Action Plan on Food Security: "Solutions to Hunger" which was a joint effort between a Federal Interagency Working Group and the non-governmental Food Security Advisory Committee of the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development. This plan outlines the means, through priority strategies and actions, by which the United States will address the World Food Summit's goals. These include a policy environment that supports economic and food security and food and water safety, trade and investment liberalization, and improved decision making, through inventory, research, education, and integration of environmental and sustainability concerns. The National Action Plan is available at: http://www.fas.usda.gov/icd/summit/usactplan.pdf.
The USDA Community Food Security Initiative was created to implement the domestic components of the US Food Security Action Plan. The Food Security Initiative is designed to help communities build their local food systems in order to decrease hunger, improve nutrition, and help families move from poverty to self-sufficiency. The Initiative is building links directly between USDA and non-profit groups, private businesses, and citizens, as well as with state, local, and tribal governments to help communities end hunger.
Integrated Pest Management in US Agriculture
The US Government's research and education on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) includes research on pests, pesticide resistance, biological controls, cultural controls and sterile insect release programmes. IPM involves the exploration and utilization of biological cycles and genetic diversity of agricultural pests, host resistance, naturally occurring pathogens and parasites. It also includes the study and use of reduced toxicity pesticides. IPM involves training and education to foster a variety of pest control techniques in order to keep pesticide intervention to a minimum.
The President has established a goal of IPM adoption on 75% of US cropland. The USDA Economic Research Service , in a recent report [Green Technologies for a More Sustainable Agriculture, 1999] shows that this goal has been reached for pest scouting in fruit and vegetable crops, and projects the goal for full implementation will be reached in vegetable production between 2008-36, and in fruit acres by 2005.
Decision-Making: Major Groups involvement
In support of resource based rural development, farm legislation was established and supports local Resource Conservation and Development Councils throughout the nation. These Councils which consist of citizen volunteers, design, fund, and implement a wide range of demonstration and capacity building projects in their rural communities. Examples of recent projects include: timber bridge construction, dry fire hydrant installation, oyster bed seeding, local value-added food processing systems, no till seeders, solar powered and animal operated pumps for rotational grazing system demonstrations, etc.
The Sustainable Agriculture Task Force of the President's Council on Sustainable Development, with extensive input from the public and a wide range of interested individuals and groups, completed and released its 1996 Report, which included goals and recommendations for policy actions to be implemented by the public and private sectors. Recommendations addressed supporting environmentally sound and economically viable agricultural production, revitalizing rural farming communities, producing a safe and high-quality food supply, encouraging research on integrating productivity, profitability and environmental stewardship, and achieving international harmonization of intellectual property rights.
Programmes and Projects
Under the 1996 Farm Bill, a new Farmland Protection Programme has been implemented, and works through existing State and county rural land preservation efforts to limit non-agricultural uses of land. A new Wildlife Habitat Incentive Programme, which funds wildlife habitat restoration, restored 1.7 million ha to date. Through the Wetlands Reserve Programme, almost 524,000 ha of wetlands and wetland buffer areas are being restored on farmland. These programmes administered through USDA complement State, local, non-governmental, and other Federal efforts. The 1996 Farm Bill also continued existing natural resource conservation efforts which require preservation of existing wetlands on agricultural land, and require the use of special conservation plans to control erosion on highly-erodible soils for landowners to continue receiving farm programme benefits.
To encourage the economic development of rural communities, the US Government has an alternative Agricultural Research and Commercialization Programme. This programme seeks to enhance farm income by developing and commercializing non-food, non-feed uses of traditional and non-traditional agricultural products. A revolving loan fund, established to encourage this work has granted loans for purposes as diverse as the establishment of standards and common terminology for biofuels, the manufacture of paper from straw, the manufacture of high quality furniture from low-quality and small diameter logs, the use of kenaf as a mat for seeding lawn grass and making newsprint and fiberboard, and the use of milkweed as a filler for pillows and comforters.
One example of the US Government's effort to establish land reclamation programmes for degraded land is the Conservation Reserve Programme. The purpose of the programme is to assist land owners in the restoration of grass or trees on highly erodible or fragile cropland, (including land with associated ground or surface water that may be vulnerable to contamination). Through ten-year contracts, approximately 89 million ha (36 million acres) have been removed from production and revegetated in this programme. The USDA also provides various natural disaster relief programmes to assist farms and ranches that have suffered losses.
The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) conducts research on sustainable plant nutrition and increasing food production, availability, and safety. All aspects of agricultural research from germplasm conservation to human nutrition are addressed in 23 national programmes. Sustainability is an important element of all these national research programmes. All ARS national programmes [details can be found on the Internet at: http://www.ars.usda.gov] seek to enhance productivity while minimizing impacts on the environment. National programmes in the Natural Resources and Sustainable Agricultural Systems area in particular address topics such as water management and quality, soil quality, rangeland health, manure management, climate change, and integrated farming systems. The Integrated Farming Systems (IFS) National Programme is the focal point for research activities that take a holistic approach. IFS research takes into account the interacting components a producer must balance, how the farm or ranch as a whole ban best be managed, and how the farm functions within the larger landscape.
Status
Agriculture in the United States (US) today is both diverse and complex, and its description requires more than a compilation of facts on farm numbers, farm sizes, and farm production. National averages often mask the variation and interactions that are key to understanding the roles of major participants in US agricultural production. Such an understanding is essential to assessing the sustainability and the economic health of the agricultural sector, and the effects of government programmes and Federal laws on farming systems and rural areas across the country.
Land Conservation and Rehabilitation
Of the existing total land area in the United States of 4.7 billion hectares (ha) [1.9 billion acres], about 1.5 billion ha [600 million acres] physical characteristics favorable to crop production: sufficient rainfall, adequate topsoil depth with good water-holding capacity, and gentle slopes. Results from the USDA National Resources Inventory indicate that on the nation's non-federal cropland, erosion decreased by 42 percent between 1982 and 1997.
About 1.6 billion ha (660,000 acres/year) of cropland and pastureland were converted to urban uses in the US during the period 1982 to 1992. Although the cropland base is fairly stable at 939 million ha (380 million acres) since 1992, more than half of the cropland converted to developed land between 1982 and 1992 was considered prime agricultural land. Land converted to cultivated cropland between 1995 and 1997 was generally lower in quality (steeper and more erodible) than the existing cropland area.
Sustainability of Freshwater Resources for Agricultural Production and Rural Development
The United States is a water-rich country overall, but there is significant variation is water availability from one place to another and from one year to the next. Irrigation constitutes almost 85% of consumptive use, with the remainder going to domestic use (7%), industry (5%), and power generation (4%). Since the early 1970s, considerable progress has been made in improving the quality of US waters, but much remains to be done to achieve water quality goals stated in the US Clean Water Act.
In 1997, USDA released a report: Water Quality and Agriculture: Status, Conditions, and Trends. The report addresses soil quality, sediment, nitrogen, phosphorus, pesticides, salinity, agricultural resource management, water quality, and agricultural policies and programmes.
In 1998 the U.S. government released a Clean Water Action Plan: Restoring and Protecting America's Waters. A key element is a new cooperative approach to watershed protection in which state, tribal, federal, and local governments, and the public identify priority watersheds with critical water quality problems and then work together to focus resources and implement effective strategies to solve those problems. An interagency Animal Feeding Operation Strategy to combine clean water goals with animal and crop nutrition has been released and is undergoing extensive public review.
Challenges
The 1999 Rural Conditions and Trends released by the USDA Economic Research Service
reports that rural areas continue to lag urban areas in earnings and income, with a
disproportionate share of minorities economically disadvantaged. However, falling
unemployment, growing per capita incomes, and rising earnings indicate a positive economic
climate in rural areas.
Capacity-building, Education, Training
and Awareness-raising
The USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Programme administers a competitive grants programme that has advanced sustainable agriculture systems in the United States. The SARE programme works through four regional Councils to identify information needs and select projects in a competitive process. The SARE programme also supports Sustainable Agriculture Working Groups, and a Sustainable Agriculture Campaign. SARE has funded nearly 1,400 projects to explore and apply economically-profitable, environmentally-sound and socially-supporting farming systems. The SARE website is: http://www.sare.org.
The USDA Small Farm ,Programme with a goal to improve the income levels and economic viability of small farm enterprises, convened a National Conference in 1996 to discuss research, extension, marketing strategies, economic opportunities, social issues, small farm policy, and programme impacts, accountability, and delivery. Proceedings were published in 1997 and USDA is working to implement the recommendations in that report. The USDA Small Farms website is: http://www.usda.gov/oce/sdsf/
Diversifying Rural Employment
To help rural Americans build globally competitive businesses and cooperatives, the USDA administers a variety of business programmes including grants, commercial lending and revolving loan funds as well as technical assistance, which are usually leveraged with commercial, cooperative, or other private-sector lender resources. Guarantees or direct loans are available for businesses that create or maintain employment and improve the economic and environmental climate in rural communities.
These programmes are delivered by a nationwide field staff serving 50 States, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Western Pacific Territories. In Fiscal Year 1998, a total of 983 loans and 435 grants totaling US$ 1.3 billion were disbursed. This resulted in over 70,000 jobs either being created or saved in rural America.
Information
The US Government has many programmes that collect data, establish databases, and provide network access to these databases. Databases are developed and maintained for germplasm information, pests, pesticide and fertilizer use, production practices, soil types, forest types, insect infestations, and crop coverage/production. Economists analyze the data to compare input use and profitability of different production practices. Many of these databases can be accessed worldwide by research scientists, extension agents, farmers, and the general public.
The US Government is dedicated to making available all necessary knowledge and technology to farmers, extension agents and planners. The Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) is the outreach arm of the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) programme. The Sustainable Agriculture Network disseminates information about sustainable agriculture through electronic and print publications. For example, in 1997 it published the Source Book of Sustainable Agriculture for Educators, Producers, and other Agricultural Professionals: A Guide to Books, Newsletters, Conference Proceedings, Bulletins, Videos and more. Other SAN books address cover crop use, weed management and organic agriculture. SAN publishes informational bulletins about sustainable agriculture, including dairy, crop diversification and on-farm research. It also sponsors a mail group on the Internet called sanet-mg, where 900 subscribers discuss sustainable agriculture philosophy and practices. SAN maintains most of its information on the World Wide Web, where more information about the SARE grant programme can also be found ( http://www.sare.org).
USDA websites with information on sustainable agriculture include:
US National Agricultural Library: http://www.nal.usda.gov/
AgNIC (Agriculture Network Information Center): http://www.agnic.org/
Alternative Farming Systems Information Center: http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/
ATTRA - Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas: http://www.attra.org/
USDA Sustainable Development and Small Farms: http://www.usda.gov/oce/sdsf/
Agricultural Research Service (ARS): http://www.ars.usda.gov/
US National Cooperative Soil Survey: http://www.statlab.iastate.edu/soils/nsdaf/
US Natural Resources Inventory: http:// www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/NRI/background.html, and http://www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/land/home.html, respectively .
The National Agricultural Library (NAL), [ http://www.nal.usda.gov], part of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), provides world leadership in developing and applying information technologies that ensure that agricultural knowledge and information are available to those who need it. AGRICOLA (AGRICultural OnLine Access), NAL's ever-growing bibliographic database of over 3 million records, provides onsite and remote users with the information they need, quickly and easily. National and international customers seeking information are served through AgNIC, a virtual information center established in collaboration with several land-grant university libraries to provide a focal point for seamless Internet access to distributed agriculture-related information, subject area experts, and other resources. AgNIC includes AgDB, a database directory of quality agriculture-related databases, datasets, and information systems, [ http://www.agnic.org/agdb/]. Customers seeking specific information about alternative, organic, or sustainable agriculture are served by NAL's Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC).
USDA maintains a number of databases available to all users through the National Agricultural Library. Extension agents in virtually every county of the United States provide information and technical assistance to farmers and citizens. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) (formerly the Soil Conservation Service) has natural resource planning specialists in virtually every county, to assist landowners with resource planning. Through the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SANET) funded by the SARE programme, information is being provided in many forms, including printed reports and databases that demonstrate research findings to farmers with computers and to information providers world wide. The Department of Agriculture operates the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) programme which transfers information about sustainable agriculture to farmers. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have formed a partnership with a number of groups and companies representing agricultural and non-agricultural pesticide users to promote environmental stewardship of pesticide use in the United States.
In 1999 the U.S. General Accounting Office released the report, Food Security: Factors That Could Affect Progress Toward Meeting World Food Summit Goals. This report is available at: http://www.gao.gov. Factors that were investigated include: trade reform, actions to reduce conflict, increasing agricultural production, and safety net programs and food aid. The report also addressed the need to develop a food security information system and improved coordination.
The National Cooperative Soil Survey and the Natural Resources Inventory contain information on soil types and natural resources conditions and trends on non-federal lands. Information about these databases and their uses can be found at: http://www.statlab.iastate.edu/soils/nsdaf/, http://www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/NRI/backgriound/html, and http://www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/land/home.html.
Research and Technologies
Rural Energy Transition
USDA, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the US Department of Energy (DOE) have supported numerous research, demonstration, and pilot projects on producing alternative energy from agriculture, including, for example, methane capture from livestock operations, production and use of biomass crops, and solar and wind power generation. By a recent (August 1999) Executive Order, federal efforts to develop 21st century bio-based industries that use trees, crops and agricultural and forestry wastes to make fuels, chemicals, and electricity will be further coordinated and accelerated. A goal of tripling U.S. use of bio-based products and bioenergy by 2010 was established by the Executive Memorandum. This could create $15 billion to $20 billion in new income for farmers and rural America, and reduce fossil fuel emissions by an amount up to 100 million metric tons of carbon.
Conservation and Sustainable Use of Plant and Animal Genetic Resources
The National Plant Germplasm Advisory Committee has been in operation for over 20 years. The US Government maintains the world's most extensive germplasm storage network. The base collection is housed in the National Seed Storage Laboratory. Active genebanks are located in more than 20 locations around the country. Compared to plant germplasm initiatives, the conservation and sustainable utilization of animal genetic resources for sustainable agriculture is in its infancy. The US, however, has begun collecting a national inventory of available animal genetic resources.
The USDA National Plant Materials Programme selects and develops plant materials for commercial distribution. These plants, for use in land conservation, are increasingly selected from among native plant species.
Financing
Since 1988, the USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research Extension (SARE) Programme has provided funding for approximately 1400 projects in the areas of research and education, producer grants (for on-farm, farmer/rancher initiated research), and professional development.
Cooperation
The US Government participated in the exchange of scientific personnel for education, training and cooperative efforts related to sustainable agricultural practices in developing countries. It also provides scientific, technical and educational assistance addressing issues of agricultural sustainability. USAID has supported sustainable agriculture practices through the International Agriculture Research Centers (IARCs), which receive their funding through the Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR). The US is also one of CGIAR's leading contributors. The US has also worked at FAO to support greater diffusion and action on programs that promote sustainable agricultural practices.
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This information was provided by the Government of United States of America to the 5th and 8th Sessions of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development. Last Update: December 1999.
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Decision-Making: Coordinating Bodies
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US Department of Energy, and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office are full-fledged members of the President's Council on Sustainable Development and are primarily responsible for the "protection of the atmosphere".
Decision-Making: Legislation and Regulations
The Clean Air Act and its amendments have been reviewed. The Government, scientific community and NGOs have conducted studies on the impacts of air pollution and the depletion of the ozone layer on public health.
Regarding the programme area of preventing stratospheric ozone depletion, national goals concerning the phase-out of CFCs and other ozone depleting substances are outlined in the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990.
Decision-Making: Strategies, Policies and Plans
The President's Climate Change Plan includes nearly 50 different initiatives designed to reduce greenhouse emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000. It is estimated that these efforts will save $260 billion in energy bills by the year 2010 while promoting economic efficiency and competitiveness. Many initiatives are largely voluntary programmes designed to spur cost-effective actions without additional regulations and bureaucracy. One of these, The US Initiative in Joint Implementation, jointly chaired by the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, is a voluntary pilot programme designed to contribute to international understanding to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in different geographic regions through joint US and foreign partnerships.
In July 1996, the US announced interest in achieving a binding agreement to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. The US government will attempt to reduce emissions through market-based solutions such as pollution trading permits and energy efficiency measures.
Decision-Making: Major Groups involvement
The private sector and the government have developed methodologies to identify threshold levels of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations.
The Pollution Pilot Project is led by a core group from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Amoco Petroleum, The Dow Chemical Company, Monsanto Company, Rayanier and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The group has begun to identify opportunities to cut production and environmental costs while reducing and preventing pollution at two chemical manufacturing facilities - a Dow Chemical plant in La Porte, Texas and a Monsanto plant in Pensacola, Florida.
Programmes and Projects
The US Government promotes policies and programmes in the areas of energy efficiency, environmentally sound and efficient transportation, industrial pollution control, sound land-use practices, sound management of marine resources and management of toxic and other hazardous waste. The government, scientific community and NGOs have conducted studies on the cumulative impacts of air pollution and the depletion of the ozone layer on public health. To date, one of the most important studies conducted is the EPA's Regulation Impact Analysis which was undertaken in 1994.
Regarding the programme area of energy, transport and industry, the US Government has reviewed current energy supply mixes.
Money-saving pollution prevention initiatives have been implemented at the facility level.
Status
Challenges
No information is available.
The national early detection system, the national capacity to predict changes and fluctuations and capacity building for performing systematic observations and fluctuations are rated "good". These actions are primarily governmental and undertaken by the private sector. The US Government has provided training opportunities in the area of transboundary atmospheric pollution control and encourages industry to develop environmentally safe technologies. The country's capacity for observation and assessment, research and information exchange are rated "very good". The US Government actively participates in strengthening the Global Climate Observing System at national levels.
Information
In the area of environment
and transport, emissions monitoring is comprehensive and systematic. In the area of
transboundary atmospheric pollution control, the government has facilitated the exchange
of data and information at national and international levels
The US Government is involved in the development and use of terrestrial and marine resources and land-use practices that will be more resilient to atmospheric changes and fluctuations. The US government supports the conservation and enhancement of sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gases, including biomass, forests and oceans, as well as other terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems. The US Government has also strengthened early warning systems and response mechanisms for transboundary air pollution resulting from industrial accidents and natural disasters.
Financing
In 1994, the US contributed US$34 million to the Montreal Protocol. Air pollution abatement and control expenditures in the United States were estimated at $31.9 billion in 1993.
Regarding the programme area of transboundary atmospheric pollution, the US acceded to the UN/ECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Pollution in 1979. In October 1993, the US announced the US Initiative on Joint Implementation (USIJI) to, among other things, encourage the development and implementation of cooperative, cost-effective voluntary projects between US and foreign partners, especially projects that promote technological cooperation and sustainable development. USIJI also aimed at fostering private sector investment and innovation in the development and dissemination of technologies for reducing or sequestering greenhouse gas emissions. One of USIJI's objectives is to encourage participating countries to adopt more complete climate action programs, including national inventories, baselines, policies and measures, and appropriate specific commitments. Complementing USIJI is the US Country Studies Programme (CSP), an interagency programme designed to provide technical and financial support to developing countries and countries with economies in transition for climate change studies. In 1994, USAID funding for projects to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions was at approximately $143 million, a more than 200 percent increase over similar funding expended in 1991 before UNCED.
Cooperation
The Montreal Protocol (1987) was signed in 1988, the London Amendment (1990) was signed before 1992, and the Copenhagen Amendment (1992) was signed after 1992. The latest reports to the Montreal Protocol Secretariat were prepared in 1996. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was signed in 1992 and the latest report to the UNFCCC Secretariat was submitted in 1994.
* * *
This information is based on the United States of America's submission to the 5th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development, April 1997. Last update: 1 April 1997
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Decision-Making: Coordinating Bodies
In the US, all levels of government, the private sector and individuals share major responsibilities for conservation and biological diversity. The federal government has broad responsibility for managing terrestrial and marine biodiversity of public lands (approximately one-third of the US land area), coastal waters, as well as specific responsibilities for regulating private uses of resources of national interest that have important biological values (e.g. estuaries, wetlands, floodplain, critical habitat for endangered species). State governments have broad responsibilities for regulating uses of land and natural resources (e.g., hunting and fishing) not subject to Federal reservation.
In 1993, the White House Office of Environmental Policy established the Interagency Ecosystem Management Task Force to coordinate the implementation of a comprehensive Ecosystem Management Initiative. The Task force seeks to promote a consistent approach to environmental management by learning from large scale ecosystem-based management efforts, and strengthening the ongoing development of an ecosystem management approach for federal lands and federally managed programmes. This approach entails involving multiple agencies within larger ecological boundaries. It also relies on finding ways to increase voluntary participation of state, tribal, and local governments as well as nongovernmental organizations and the public. Through the Ecosystem Management Initiative, multi-agency Ecosystem Management Teams are being established to work with local and regional stakeholders in developing "New Initiatives Laboratories" as cooperative demonstrations of ecosystem management in areas where such management is not well developed, yet where significant opportunities for demonstrating integrated management exist.
Decision-Making: Legislation and Regulations
No information is available.
Decision-Making: Strategies, Policies and Plans
Ecosystem management strategies have been adopted in the Departments of the
Interior, Agriculture, Defense and Energy, as well as in the USEPA and the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In some cases, broad-scale organizational
frameworks are being implemented. For example, the US Fish and Wildlife Service in the
Department of the Interior has defined approximately 50 ecosystem "units" across
the country as a basis for future planning related to sustainable management and
endangered species conservation.
Decision-Making: Major
Groups involvement
State and local parks and reserves are important in biodiversity conservation. In states that lack large federal landholdings, NGOs, private institutions and individual landowners protect large numbers of tracts, maintain significant ex situ facilities such as arboreta and zoological parks and play an increasing role in conservation.
Cooperative efforts involving various levels of government and the private sector are underway to implement the biosphere reserve concept in several regions. For example, in the diverse forest ecosystem of the southeastern highlands, the Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere (SAMB) Programme is being implemented as a joint undertaking of the SAMB Cooperative and the SAMAB Foundation. The former organization includes representatives from Federal and state agencies, and the latter from private institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and local communities. Working together, these organizations enable ecosystem stakeholders to consult, share capabilities, and pool resources to address conservation and development problems in a biologically diverse and culturally distinctive area that includes territory of six states. The International Sonoran Desert Alliance is a public-private partnership, established in 1992 in an area of the western Sonoran desert that includes a cluster of biosphere reserves in northwestern Mexico and Arizona. The Alliance includes residents, business leaders, state and federal resource managers and conservationists from the United States and Mexico, and offers an ecosystem-based forum for local communities to develop shared goals and joint projects for community development and protection of the cultural and biological diversity of one of the largest intact arid ecosystems in the world. The Nature Conservancy (TNC), has pioneered development of methods and data systems to support biodiversity conservation.
Status
No information is available.
Challenges
No information is available.
Capacity-building, Education, Training
and Awareness-raising
No information is available.
Programmes and Projects
Post-UNCED domestic policy has focused on promoting partnerships among Federal, state and private programmes concerned with biological diversity, coordinating government-wide research, data systems, and technology development, and demonstrating ecosystem-based management approaches, while concurrently establishing protected areas, maintaining ex situ repositories for genetic resources and improving public education. Federal systems of national parks, forests, grasslands, wildlife refuges, marine sanctuaries, wilderness areas, and other management categories and special designations play a major role in situ conservation of biodiversity. Federal programmes and facilities also play a major role in collection and ex situ preservation of crop germplasm and other genetic resources of potential or actual economic importance.
The State Department has coordinated development of the interagency Coral Reef Initiative to build domestic and international partnerships, provide coordination and integration of existing and new activities, and develop the technical and human resources needed to conserve, protect, and manage coral reef ecosystems in the United States and the world. The CRI was launched through an international workshop in early 1995. By 1996, plans called for implementation of an expanded Coral Reef Research Programme, a global monitoring programme, a comprehensive programme of research and conservation of reef ecosystems under US jurisdiction and an international programme of capacity-building focusing on partnerships for effective management of coral reef ecosystems, taking into account the full range of threats from local land-based pollution to the potential effects of global change.
Information
National Biodiversity Databases on Ecosystems include: National Wetlands Inventory, National Coastal Wetlands Database, Wetlands Creation and Restoration Database, Gap Analysis Database, Global Ecosystems, Biospherics Programme, Earth Resources Observation Systems, Data Atlases (Coastal/Marine Ecosystems) and the National Estuarine Inventory. Databases on Species include: Wetland Plant List and Species databases, Candidate Plant and Animal species, Endangered Species Country List, BIOS, Federal Interagency Sensitive Wildlife Information System, National Contaminant Biomonitoring, National Biomonitoring Inventory, North American Breeding Birds, Bird Banding and Band Recovery, Waterfowl Breeding Populations, Waterfowl Harvest, Winter Waterfowl, Marine and Waterbird Colonies, Fisheries Statistics, Living Maritime Resources Programme, Forest Inventory and Analysis. Other Databases include: Biosphere Reserve Integrated Monitoring Programme, National Resource Inventories in National Forests and Grasslands, National Park flora, National Park Fauna, Land Condition and Trend Analysis (US Army). Taxonomy Databases include: Smithsonian Taxonomic Databases, Plant List of Accepted Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Symbols, EPA Taxonomic and the National Oceanographic Data Center Code System. Regional databases include: Endangered Plants of Northwestern states, New England Animal Species, raptors, Fish Stocking, Commercial Fish Catch. In 1991, 4,542 Ph.D. Awards were granted in the biological sciences.
The Federal government launched an interagency effort in 1993 to develop a baseline synthesis of the current knowledge of major eco-regions in the US.
Research and Technologies
In 1993, the Federal Government established the National Biological Service (NBS) to provide information and technology for managing biological diversity. NBS is a catalyst for developing methods and protocols for biological inventory, monitoring, research and data management. Through partnerships with other agencies and private organizations, the NBS will coordinate access to biological information by Federal, state and other land managers and other sectors of society, document diversity trends, and feature the causes of biological impoverishment. In 1994, the NBS began to develop and synthesize biological information to support cooperative management of 10 ecosystems and initiated a review of national and regional biodiversity issues and trends based on existing data sources. Under the auspices of the Interagency Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources established by the White House in 1993, a Subcommittee on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics has been charged with developing an integrated government-wide strategy and implementation plan for R&D on biodiversity and ecological dynamics to support management and conservation of renewable resources.
Financing
The Biodiversity Conservation Network, funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), works with NGO and private sector partners in host countries to develop and implement economically viable approaches for conserving biodiversity at the local level. Grants support development and marketing of new sustainable nonforest timber products, ecotourism enterprises, cooperative biodiversity prospecting and other innovative projects. In cooperation with the World Bank, USAID in 1994-1995 helped establish funding organizations to strengthen country institutions and support biodiversity activities in Indonesia (Indonesia Biodiversity Foundation) and Mexico (Mexican Conservation Fund), and recently provided a $3 million grant to Conservation International to conduct rapid biodiversity assessments in the Andean region of South America and insular Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Through the International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups Programme, USAID is collaborating with the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation to award grants to US and developing country partners for discovering bioactive agents for the pharmaceutical industry while encouraging biological conservation and sustainable economic development.
Cooperation
The Convention on Biological Diversity was signed in 1993 but not yet ratified. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora was signed in 1993 and already ratified.
The US expanded participation in international programmes to support the conservation of native migratory species that require seasonal habitats in multiple countries through the Partners in Flight Programme. Government agencies and private organizations are establishing national, regional, state, and physiographic working groups to coordinate monitoring, research, and public education efforts to conserve neotropical migratory birds and their habitats, and to link these efforts with those of other nations in the Hemisphere. In 1994, the US, Canada, and Mexico signed an update to the North American Waterfowl Management Plan that expanded their commitment to restoring continental waterfowl populations and conserving the biological diversity of critical wetlands. From 1990 through 1993, the cooperative programme to implement the Plan has protected, restored, or enhanced 2.26 million acres in the US and 1.19 million acres in Canada, and launched 15 projects in 9 Mexican states (1990 - 1994), as well as implemented mapping, planning and educational projects covering an additional 3 million wetland acres.
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This information is based on the United States of America's submission to the 5th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development, April 1997. Last update: 1 April 1997
For
information on the Natural Resources Task Force of the President's Council on Sustainable
Development, click here.
For national information on sustainable
ecosystems and communities, click here.
For access to the Web Site of the Convention on
Biological Diversity, click here:
For access to the Web Site of
the CITES Convention, click here:
For the Web Site of the CMS
Convention, click here:
For the Web Site of the Convention on the
Protection of the World's Cultural and Natural Heritage, click here:
For the country-by-country, Man in the Biosphere
On-Line Query System, click here:
Click here to go to the Web Site of the BSS
(Biotechnology and Scientific Services) maintained by APHIS (Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service) of USDA (United States Department of Agriculture, which contains a
complete database (1987-present) for movement permits, release permits, notifications, and
petitions of Genetically Modified Organisms in the U.S.A.
Environmental Releases Database
for the U.S.
Click here to link to the Biosafety
Information Network and Advisory Service (BINAS), a service of the United Nations
Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), which monitors global developments in
regulatory issues in biotechnology.
Click here to go to the Web Site of UNEP's
International Register on Biosafety.
Agricultural Genome Information System
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Decision-Making: Coordinating Bodies
The US Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and Interior, in coordination with other US agencies, actively participated in activities to negotiate the International Convention to Combat Desertification and co-sponsored an International Symposium and Workshop on Desertification in Developed Countries in October of 1994. The departments are currently developing a number of ecosystem-based demonstration projects in the arid and semi-arid areas of the United States. An International Symposium and Workshop on Desertification in Developed Countries was proposed for May 1997.
There is a wide variety of federal agencies involved in combatting desertification and drought in the western part of the United States. These agencies include the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forest Service, the Geological Survey, the National Biological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, and the Soil Conservation Service. There are thousands of professional staff members in these agencies whose jobs involve combatting desertification and drought in one form or another.
Decision-Making: Legislation and Regulations
In August 1993, legislation was revised to combat desertification and drought. In order
to raise the overall level of knowledge of the causes and effects of drought and
desertification, the Departments of Interior, Commerce (through the National Atmospheric
and Oceanic Administration - NOAA), and Agriculture, in coordination with other
appropriate US agencies, agreed to explore the feasibility of a domestic demonstration
programme aimed at the optimum management of drylands for sustainable use.
Decision-Making: Strategies, Policies and Plans
No information is available.
Decision-Making: Major
Groups involvement
There is a significant number of state, local and tribal units of government and a wide variety of non-governmental organizations involved in combatting desertification and drought. NGOs are advisory participants at the field/grassroots level and ad hoc participants at national planning and middle levels. Women are ad hoc participants at national, district and grassroots levels. Youth are involved in national or district level planning but seldom at the grassroots level.
Programmes and Projects
No information is available.
Status
Significant areas susceptible to desertification comprise approximately 37% of the United States. Numerous federal, state and local land use plans have been prepared for areas susceptible to desertification. These plans generally fall into three broad categories: functional or sector-specific plans, such as highway construction plans; resource specific plans, such as plans to manage fishery resources or plans to reduce soil erosion; and local comprehensive land use plans. The US has only begun to undertake planning on an ecosystem-wide basis. There are no national or regional plans or strategies to combat desertification.
The impact of improper farming, land use, natural causes and water withdrawals on desertification is modest. Grazing has a moderate impact; fuel wood collection is insignificant. Improper grazing practices in the 1800's and early 1900's resulted in the degradation of large areas of the western part of the United States. These areas have been slow to recover.
Challenges
In order to address identified problems associated with desertification, Federal natural resource agencies, in cooperation with State, Tribal and local governments, non-governmental organizations and private land owners are gradually developing ecosystem-based approaches to restore degraded areas. Social, economic and cultural incentives exist so that farmers undertake conservation and regenerative measures. Rangeland Reform '95 reduced grazing fees for good stewardship on federally-owned grazing lands.
Information
There are approximately 25,000 hydrological monitoring stations with good coverage and
adequate staff dealing with desertification issues at the Federal and State levels. There
is, however, a shortage of trained field level staff.
Research and Technologies
No information is available.
Financing
No information is available.
Cooperation
The Fifth International Rangeland Congress was held in July 1995. The major international, regional and bilateral programmes active in the US include UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB); National Science Foundation LTER sites; US / Mexico Border Environmental Issues Field Committee and the International Sonoran Desert Alliance.
The International Convention to Combat Desertification in Countries Experiencing Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa was signed in 1994 but not yet ratified.
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This information is based on the United States of America's submission to the 5th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development, April 1997. Last update: 1 April 1997
For access to the Web Site of the Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought, click here:
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Decision-Making: Coordinating Bodies
No information is available.
Decision-Making: Legislation and Regulations
No information is available.
Decision-Making: Strategies, Policies and Plans
No information is available.
Decision-Making: Major Groups involvement
No information is available.
Programmes and Projects
No information is available.
Status
No information is available.
Challenges
No information is available.
Capacity-building, Education, Training and Awareness-raising
No information is available.
Information
No information is available.
Research and Technologies
No information is available.
Financing
No information is available.
Cooperation
No information is available.
* * *
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Decision-Making: Coordinating Bodies
The US has a highly decentralized federal system of government and a mix of forest land ownership. About 60% of US forests (180 million ha) are privately owned by 11 million owners. The 50 states are individually responsible for guiding and regulating management of these private forests. The states also manage state-owned forests, and at the local level, hundreds of counties and many cities own and manage forest areas. About 35% of forest land (105 million ha) is federally owned and managed by several agencies of the federal government, including: the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service; the US Department of the Interior US Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Indian Affairs; and, the US Department of Defense. In view of decentralized forest regulation and extensive private ownership, the actions of state and local governments and non-government parties, such as small non-industrial forest owners, industry, local communities and environmental advocates, have a profound effect on how forests are managed in the US and the progress made domestically towards forest conservation and sustainable management. In addition, US citizens are part of the natural resource public decision-making process at local, regional and national levels throughout the country.
Decision-Making: Legislation
and Regulations
There are numerous organized advocates in the US for forest conservation and use that have a profound effect on US forestry and forest policy. This is illustrated by forest legislation that has been revised or enacted in the last decade alone includes the Forest Stewardship Act of 1990, the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1990, American the Beautiful Act of 1990, National Indian Forest Resources and Management Act of 1990, the 1995 and 1998 Farm Bills, and regular reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Under the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Act of 1974 (RPA), the US Forest Service publishes an "Assessment of US Forests" every ten years, with five-year updates. The corresponding programme, also published every five years, provides broad guidance for more specific national forest plans, statewide resource plans and research plans.
In July 1998, the President signed into law the Tropical Forest Conservation Act (TFCA), which authorizes the reduction of official debt owed the US by countries with tropical forests in exchange for forest conservation measures. The law expands the 1992 Enterprise for the Americas Initiative which led to the signing of agreements with seven Latin American countries that were undertaking macroeconomic and structural adjustment reforms to cancel $875 million in their official debt, generating substantial local currency for child survival and environmental projects. Seven countries have requested debt buyback or debt-for-nature swaps under the TFCA; many more have expressed interest in debt reduction should funding become available.
There are a number of standards and certification schemes, such as the International Standards Organization and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), involved in a growing trend for wood products certification. This trend is reflected in the increasing number of lumber mills seeking and receiving "chain of custody" certificates, and a number of large corporate retailers such as Home Depot, the world’s third largest lumber retailer, selling certified wood products. To date, about 179 companies throughout the US carry FSC chain-of-custody certification and 52 US forest management companies are FSC-certified.
Decision-Making: Strategies, Policies and Plans
The Forest Service is incorporating the concept of sustainable forest management, and criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management, into this mandated planning. This includes maintenance of biodiversity, forest productivity, forest health, soil and water protection and maintaining a viable forest economy, as well as the policies and institutions necessary to implement the desires of society regarding forests.
The best example of policy following UNCED Forest Principles is the ecosystem management approach to the stewardship of public forest lands. The President's office has established an interagency coordinating committee for ecosystem management.
By using this approach, concerted efforts have been made in the Pacific Northwest to resolve issues centered on forest protection and timber harvest, the preservation of old growth ecosystems, scenic values, and the livelihoods of local communities. In April 1994, following a process of participation with all stakeholders and the completion of an environmental impact statement, the President's Forest Plan was adopted for all federal lands in the Pacific Northwest region.
The President's Forest Plan has three components: An Aquatic Conservation Strategy aimed at restoring and maintaining the ecological health of the region's watersheds, a Terrestrial Conservation Strategy aimed at maintaining late successional and old growth species habitat and the biological diversity associated with such ecosystems, and an initiative to help local communities adjust to new forest ecosystem protection management. The Fish and Wildlife Service is involved in the implementation of conservation and management programmes for forest dwelling neotropical birds. The Fish and Wildlife Service has developed partnerships with dozens of federal and State agencies, private conservation organizations and local governments to restore and manage forest habitats for these migratory species. The Texas Gulf Coast Wood Lot Initiative (important to migrating birds crossing the Gulf of Mexico) and the 12 million hectare Tennessee Valley Project are examples.
Decision-Making: Major Groups involvement
Respect and recognition of traditional rights of indigenous people, including Native Americans, Native Hawaiians and Alaska Natives, is an ongoing effort by the US. Since 1992 numerous actions have been taken by the Government, including issuance of Executive Orders regarding consultation and coordination with Indian governments and Indian sacred sites and of directives on government-to-government consultations with federally recognized tribal governments.
State Foresters are responsible for the establishment of State Stewardship Committees in every state, which include representation from a range of natural resource disciplines as well as the public and private sectors. Each state has also developed and is implementing state resource plans, which will ultimately bring millions of hectares of non-industrial private forest lands under stewardship management.
There are numerous organized advocates in the US for forest conservation and use that have a profound effect on US forestry and forest policy. For example:
The Nature Conservancy (TNC), an NGO dedicated to preservation of the nation’s biodiversity, has acquired over 3.64 million hectares of wildlife habitat and manages over 1,500 reserves. TNC is currently focusing on developing agreements with the business community and have come to an agreement with the timber company Westvaco to conduct a biodiversity inventory of its 562,000 hectares of land.
In October 1994 the American Forest and Paper Association (AFPA), which represents 95% of the industrial forest land in the US, approved a set of Sustainable Forestry Initiative Principles and Guidelines (SFI), which includes performance measures for reforestation and the protection of water quality, wildlife, visual quality, biological diversity and areas of special significance. In 1998 the programme was expanded to include public and non-industrial private lands.
The US-based International Wood Products Association (IWPA), which represents major timber exporting and importing companies, has established membership-approved voluntary "Codes of Conduct" for trade in wood products and forest management, similar to the SFI.
The National Woodland Owners Association, together with the Association of Consulting Foresters, has recently accepted sustainable forest management as a goal and the concept of certified wood products as a tool to accomplish that end. This is reflected in their "Green Tag Programme, which certifies wood products produced by small non-industrial wood producers.
The Conservation Fund is working with state foresters and recently acquired over 100,000 hectares of forest land in the states of New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.
Programmes and Projects
Within the US Forest Service, the State and Private Division serves the nation’s non-federal forest owners with a number of focused programmes, including the Stewardship Incentives Programme (SIP), a companion to the Forest Stewardship Programme. The SIP, which began in 1992, provides cost-share assistance for private landowners to implement a broad range of practices recommended under their Stewardship Management plans, including wildlife and fish habitat improvement, soil and water improvement, forest recreation enhancement, riparian and wetlands protection and reforestation. Over 1.16 hectares of private lands were in stewardship management by 1998. Plans to fund this programme from other sources than federal funds are now being created.
The US Department of Interior Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is involved in the implementation of conservation and management programmes for North American forest dwelling neotropical birds. FWS has developed partnerships with dozens of federal and state agencies, private conservation organizations and local governments to restore and manage forest habitats for these migratory species. The Texas Gulf Coast Wood Lot Initiative (important to migrating birds crossing the Gulf of Mexico) and the 12-million hectare Tennessee Valley Project are working examples.
The US Forest Service has a national programme to address urban forest issues. It is a cooperative community-based programme designed to bring an understanding of natural resources concepts and careers to city dwellers. The first Urban Tree House Programme, inaugurated in Atlanta, Georgia, serves as a working model for several other cities interested in their own Programme, such as Washington, DC; Portland, Oregon; Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee, among others.
StatusOn October 13, 1999 President Clinton announced plans to protect an additional 16,194,000 ha of federally owned forestlands from road building and commercial development. A year-long process soliciting public comments will determine the specific areas selected. This is considered one of the biggest land conservation efforts in America’s history.
In September 1999 the US Forest Service issued new draft planning regulations that will give greater emphasis to the sustainable management of National Forest Systems. The regulations provide direction for working towards the goal of sustainability and acknowledge the importance of Criteria and Indicators for sustainable forest management, emphasizing monitoring activities designed to develop a desired future condition. Under these new regulations, the US Forest Service will allocate $11.5 million to engage more actively in partnerships with states, NGOs and industry in pursuit of its goals.
In July 1998 the Chief of the US Forest Service initiated the Roundtable on Sustainable Forests, bringing together representatives of federal, state and local government agencies, non-government organizations and industry to discuss how best to implement the Montreal Process C&I for both public and private forests. The Roundtable has drawn up a charter and plan of action, established working groups on communications/public outreach and technical issues. The communications working group has created a website and taken the Roundtable message to key domestic forestry and sustainability meetings. The technical working group is organizing workshops for early 2000 that will address each Criterion and its Indicators, assessing what has already been done on data collection and what still needs to be accomplished.
The United States is the fourth most forested country, with 8% or 300 million hectares (ha) of the world's forests, exceeded only by the Russian Federation, Brazil and Canada. These forests range from the dry chapparal "forests" of the Pacific southwest to the oak-hickory forest of the east and the old growth Douglas fir and Sitka spruce forests of the Pacific coast rainforest.
Forest Cover The success of US conservation policies put in place in response to public concerns at the turn of the century left the US well positioned to implement UNCED’s Agenda 21. An extensive educational, management and policy infrastructure now exists to support scientific forest management. The US experienced a net growth in the area covered by forests since the 1920s. Today, 33 % (298 million ha) of the US is forested, constituting two-thirds of the forest at the time of European settlement. Substantial natural and artificial reforestation has taken place and now exceeds forest temporarily lost from harvesting. Populations of many forest wildlife species have substantially increased, as have recreational and other public uses of forest land.
Wood production. The efficiency of wood utilization has greatly improved. The average volume of standing timber per acre has increased 32 % since World War II, and forest growth nationally currently exceeds harvest by 21 %. About 82 % of total wood harvest occurs on private lands. Federal, State and local governments spend $6.4 billion annually on forest management, including $3.2 billion by the US Forest Service, which manages 190 million acres of national forests and rangelands and employs 32,000 people. State forestry agencies assist non-industrial private forest land owners to manage their land in a sustainable manner, producing multiple resources. Government, universities and industry are all actively involved in research to produce faster and better growing forests. New and innovative ways are constantly being developed to use wood products more efficiently.
Forestry profession The Forestry profession is changing in the US. Since 1968 the number of foresters graduating with associate or bachelor’s degrees has dropped by half. This trend may not reflect a decline in interest in forestry but rather an expansion and diversification of natural resource management degrees related to forestry, such as conservation biology and ethnobotany. The last decades have seen a growing interest by students and employers in recruiting young professionals with broader resource skills to address ecosystem management. The Society of American Foresters, the US professional society for foresters, calculates that there are approximately 62,000 professional foresters working in the field and that over time this number will decline but the professional training of the average forester and the number of forestry related professionals will broaden.
Challenges
Forest health Forests in the US are considered productive and provide for most of
the country’s needs. Although there are areas of local concern regarding forest loss,
deforestation is not perceived as a national problem. However, current assessments of the
health and conditions of US forests show that in some cases resource conditions are not
satisfactory. For example, tree mortality as a result of exotic forest disease is so
extensive that the composition of forest ecosystems across the US has changed.
Acid-forming airborne chemicals are having observable impacts on tree health. Large
forested landscapes have an unnatural distribution of trees of different ages because of
previous harvesting practices. Although older age forests are important to the
biodiversity of forest ecosystems, the growing number of aging and overstocked forest
landscapes are becoming vulnerable to insects and disease. The national list of threatened
and endangered species is increasing and some fish habitat populations are limited by
problems of water quality and quantity.
The cooperative function of the US Forest Service and the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) is to educate, train and assist private landowners and the States in conservation and sustainable management of forest lands. The USDA CSREES Logger Education to Advance Professionalism Programme (LEAP) promotes silviculture and environmental education for loggers to better understand the logic and philosophy involved in sound forest management.
Federal forestry extension programmes are more than equally matched by state university and private funds. State forestry agencies receive federal funding to provide incentives and training to landowners through the Forest Stewardship Programme. NGO forest owners associations, such as the National Woodland Owners Association, Forest Landowners Association and the American Tree Farm Programme, provide both continuing education and professional forestry counsel. Wildlife, recreation and fish conservation NGOs such as the Izaak Walton League, Ducks Unlimited and the National Wildlife Federation are doing similar work.
The US Forest Service has initiated a national programme to establish a network of Urban Tree Houses. The Urban Tree House is a cooperative community-based programme designed to bring an understanding of natural resource concepts and careers to urban children. The first Urban Tree House, inaugurated in Atlanta, serves as a working model for several other US cities that are interested in operating their own Urban Tree House Programmes such as Washington, D.C.; Portland, Oregon; Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee, among other locations. The US Extension Service's Logger Education to Advance Professionalism Programme (LEAP) promotes silviculture and environmental education for loggers so they better understand the logic and philosophy involved in sound forest management. Currently, the majority of timber harvesting operations on private lands are carried out without the assistance or guidance of a professional forester of any kind. It is estimated that as much as eighty percent of all harvesting operations are planned and executed by only the logger, who is often unaware of the impact logging activities have on soil or water quality. Another institutional improvement has been the use of electronic mail networks which is proving to be a very powerful communication tool for NGOs, government agencies and business.
Information
Domestic
International
Research and Technologies
No information is available.
Financing
Funding for forest management at the state and federal levels has not increased in the last few years, as of April 1997. With inflation, actual budgets have decreased. Federal, state and local annual spending on forest management is approximately $6.4 billion.
In 1998 the US Department of Energy and AF&PA expanded their cooperative "Technology Vision and Research Agenda 2020" to include the US Forest Service. Agenda 2020 is designed to promote sustainable forestry practices across the US by identifying and funding high priority research projects aimed at increased efficiency, biotechnology and sustainable forestry. Thus far, Agenda 2020 has attracted $13 million in joint public-private financing, including eight new projects funded with US Government support. A fourth round of projects was proposed in March 1999.
In October 1998 the Chief of the US Forest Service allocated $2 million in grant funding under the "Natural Resources Agenda for the 21st Century," a major natural resource initiative that will use sustainable forest ecosystem management as its unifying theme, with special emphasis on restoring degraded watersheds and improving recreation services for visitors to national forests.
Cooperation
The United States also has major interests at the international level. With its vast forest resources, the US is today the world's largest producer, consumer and trader in wood products, accounting for 15% of world trade in forests products. The forest products sector, although small in comparison to the rest of the US economy, is significant on a global scale, as demonstrated by the fact that the US exports and imports of wood products total $150 billion yearly. In addition, the US provides substantial forest-related assistance to developing countries and countries with economies in transition through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and other federal agencies, as well as through contributions to international organizations and financial institutions, such as the World Bank, and various innovative debt reduction initiatives. Several of the largest multinational forest and paper companies are US-owned, and many US-based environmental organizations and academic institutions undertake forest field activities and projects abroad.
U.S. bilateral assistance, through USAID, USDA and other federal agencies includes more than 150 projects in 95 countries throughout the world. Of particular interest is the focus on assistance to Russia which possesses 20 percent of the world's forests. The Peace Corp's environmental programmes have been expanded to include 900 volunteers working in 51 countries through all regions of the world. Nearly 50 percent of these volunteers are assigned to forestry related projects. As a member of the North American Forestry Commission (NAFC), institutional strengthening and capacity building for sustainable forestry has been a focus through training and technical exchanges. General projects include training and cooperating in fire suppression, cooperation to develop monitoring projects for migrating species, increasing the populations of endangered species, e.g. protection of monarch butterfly habitat, reintroducing the Mexican Grey Wolf, and improving neotropical bird habitat. Participatory management, important in the United States, has become the mechanism for including the perspectives and needs of all members of local communities. The International Intertribal Conference on Sustainable Forest Management, jointly sponsored by the US Forest Service and USAID, also promotes participation and sustainable forest management by indigenous people.
The US is active in a wide variety of intergovernmental agreements