Open-Land Resources

June 22, 2015

New NASA data show how the world is running out of water

• 21 of the world’s 37 largest aquifers have passed their sustainability tipping points, meaning more water was removed than replaced during the decade-long study period

• Underground aquifers supply 35 percent of the water used by humans worldwide

• Rain-starved California is currently tapping aquifers for 60 percent of its water use as its rivers and above-ground reservoirs dry up, a steep increase from the usual 40 percent.

• The aquifers under the most stress are in poor, densely populated regions, such as northwest India, Pakistan and North Africa.

• A 2012 study by Japanese researchers attributed up to 40 percent of the observed sea-level rise in recent decades to groundwater that had been pumped out, used by humans and ended up in the ocean

History

• People grow trees for many reasons

• Silviculture

• USDA Forest Service

The American Conservationist Movement

• Yellowstone

• Theodore Roosevelt– Preservationist School

–Wise-use School

• National Parks Movement

• New Deal

The American Conservationist Movement

A Global Perspective on Forests

• Vegetation of any kind can affect the atmosphere in four ways:

Approaches to Forest Management

• Managing forests can involve:

Major Forestry Issues• Sustainability

• Clear cutting vs Selective cutting

• Old-growth forest

• Plantations

Major Forestry Issues• Stream-protection zones

• National forests

• Forest fires

• The citizen’s role