approximately 330 threatened and 
endangered species are found on 
national forests clearly demonstrates 
the importance of these habitats. 
Minerals 
Major opportunities exist to increase 
minerals production from private forest 
and range lands. A large proportion of 
current minerals production now 
occurs on private land, and there is 
evidence that major deposits lie 
beneath private lands in the eastern part 
of the country. Even if private lands 
provide the bulk of minerals produced 
domestically, there is likely to be 
increased minerals exploration and 
extraction on Federal lands, including 
those in the National Forest System. 
Geologically, the national forests 
contain some of the host rocks most 
favorable for minerals deposits, and the 
forests are currently important sources 
of molybdenum, gold, lead, silver, 
copper, and phosphate. 
For energy minerals, rising prices are 
likely to result in increased exploration 
for and development of oil, gas, coal, 
and geothermal resources. Especially 
for metallic minerals, volatile world 
markets determine prices, and demands 
for exploration for these minerals on 
national forests and other lands will be 
episodic. Where construction minerals 
such as crushed rock, sand, and gravel 
exist on national forests near expanding 
population centers, demand for these 
minerals will intensify. 
In summary, we can expect an 
increasing interest in minerals of all 
kinds on National Forest System lands, 
with associated implications for 
planning and research on methods of 
exploring for and extracting minerals 
with minimum impacts on surface 
resources and maintenance of 
environmental quality. 
58 
International Cooperation 
The United States contains only a small 
part of the world’s forests and 
rangelands and renewable resources. It 
depends upon other countries for 
important shares of its mineral and 
timber supplies. At the same time, 
other countries depend upon the United 
States for supplies of timber products. 
Some species of wildlife and fish that 
are commercially or recreationally 
important spend part of their lives in 
other countries or international waters. 
The world’s outdoor recreational 
opportunities and global environment 
are shared by everyone, and everyone 
loses or gains as these resources and 
the environment change. For example, 
global climate change would affect all 
people. As a partner in these shared 
resources, the United States should 
consider ways to support improved 
management and use of all forest and 
range lands and renewable resources 
and protection for the natural 
environment. Such support would 
facilitate sustainable development and 
trade in renewable resources based on 
environmentally sound conservation 
policy. 
Resource Protection and 
Administrative Support 
Implications for the Forest 
Service 
The expected increases in population 
and associated economic activity in the 
United States have implications for 
resource protection and administrative 
support on all lands. If renewable 
resource inventories and supplies 
increase in response to future demands, 
there will also be increased demands 
for the protection of: (1) the soil from 
erosion and loss of long-term 
productivity; (2) timber and forage 
resources from fire, insects, diseases 
and other pests; and (3) water from 
nonpoint source pollution. 
On National Forest System lands, 
increased numbers of visitors will 
expect protection from crime. A crime- 
related issue that increased 
significantly in the past decade is the 
use of National Forest System lands to 
produce and process marijuana and 
other controlled substances. In 1986, 
for example, 800,000 acres were 
considered unsafe for the public or 
Forest Service employees to enter. 
Major efforts have been undertaken to 
remove this hazard from our national 
forests. 
The decentralized management of the 
Forest Service and the wide geographic 
distribution of our 852 administrative 
units over 46 States and Puerto Rico 
require the use of more than 21 million 
square feet of space in approximately 
11,200 buildings and support facilities. 
Maintenance of existing facilities will 
be a growing challenge, especially for 
those facilities and natural areas 
popular with recreationists. Any 
expansion of resource outputs and use 
would lead to demands for additional 
warehouses, offices, laboratories, and 
associated facilities whose expense 
must be written off as overhead. 
Increasingly sophisticated research in 
the biological sciences will require 
expensive materials and equipment. 
The state of the art for information 
processing will continue to evolve, so 
our computers and telecommunications 
equipment will need continual 
updating. 
The Forest Development Road System 
provides the principal access to 
National Forest System lands in 
accordance with decisions reached in 
the land management planning process. 
The system serves all resource 
management activities. Expansion of 
most resource programs would lead to 
additional roads and increased 
maintenance for existing ones. 
