Table 2.6 — Average annual herbage and browse production and area by productivity class of range 



ecosystem in the contiguous States 



Ecosystem 



Ecosystem 

 average 



Area 



Productivity class' 



1 



2 



3 



4 





Pounds 



Thousand 



Thousand 



Thousand 



Thousand 



Thousand 





per acre 



acres 



acres 



acres 



acres 



acres 



Grassland: 















Mountain grasslands 



1,661 



26,871 







914 



20,826 



5,131 



Mountain meadows 



2,824 



3,284 







2,090 



1,194 







Plains grasslands 



1,016 



175,239 







1,826 



80,595 



92,818 



Prairie 



3,318 



41,186 



1,985 



9,692 



29,509 







Desert grasslands 



307 



24,744 















24,744 



Annual grasslands 



2,064 



10,153 







1,987 



5,992 



2,174 



Wet grasslands 



5,139 



4,411 



1,318 



2,461 







632 



Alpine 



564 



6,775 











783 



5,992 



Shrublands: 















Sagebrush 



1,027 



129,872 











61,847 



68,025 



Desert shrub 



249 



81,171 











2,908 



78,263 



Southwestern shrubsteppe 



488 



43,213 











790 



42,423 



Shinnery 



1,870 



4,726 



8 



1,689 



385 



2,644 



Texas savanna 



2,142 



28,429 







5,502 



21,610 



1,317 



Chaparral-mountain shrub^ 



1,929 



15,477 







4,611 



7,253 



3,613 



Pinyon-juniper^ 



385 



47,305 















47,305 



Desert 







7,490 















7,490 



Western forests: 















Douglas-fir 



2,262 



38,505 







7,192 



23,710 



7,603 



Ponderosa pine 



1,627 



33,502 



2,533 



2,312 



4,733 



23,904 



Western white pine 



3,823 



566 



11 



403 



147 



5 



Fir-spruce 



1,232 



113,378 











71,177 



42,201 



Hemlock-Sitka spruce 



4,189 



19,777 



3,413 



13,829 



2,535 







Larch 



2,537 



2,815 







997 



1,818 







Lodgepole pine 



1,762 



21,218 







4,988 



10,950 



5,280 



Redwood 



4,781 



786 



385 



401 











Hardwoods 



1,880 



39,764 



163 







27,976 



11,625 



Eastern forests: 















White-red-jack pine 



1,346 



12,496 











12,496 







Spruce-fir 



784 



21,224 











695 



20,529 



Longleaf-slash pine 



2,096 



17,060 







2,940 



14,120 







Loblolly-shortleaf pine 



2,230 



50,348 







5,863 



44,485 







Oak-pine 



2,358 



35,084 



28 



5,912 



28,331 



813 



Oak-hickory 



1,153 



113,762 



1,723 



8,664 



3,420 



99,955 



Oak-gum-cypress 



1,241 



29,185 



1,300 







2,813 



25,072 



Elm-ash-cottonwood 



2,619 



23,315 







3,779 



19,536 







Maple-beech-birch 



1,476 



38,751 











38,751 







Aspen-birch 



1,410 



20,430 











20,430 







' Productivity classes: 1 - 5,000 pounds or more per acre per year; 2 - 3.000 to 4,999 pounds; 3 - 1,000 to 2,999 pounds; 4 - less than 1,000 pounds. 

 ^Considered as other forest in previous tables 



Use of Forest and Range Lands 



Forest and range lands and associated water areas 

 are important sources of basic raw materials for the 

 Nation's economy; at the same time, they play a vital 

 role in the social and cultural life of its people. In 

 addition to supplying materials such as timber, min- 

 erals, and forage for domestic livestock, these lands 

 and waters also provide wilderness, a wide range of 

 recreation activities, water, and wildlife and fish. 

 Because of their great extent and basically natural 

 character, they are also important in maintaining a 

 balance in the natural environment. 



The uses of forest and range lands are many and 

 variable, and depend in part on the nature, character, 

 and location of these lands. They also depend on the 

 density and character of the population that uses 

 them. Major ones are discussed in a summary manner 

 in the parts of this chapter that deal with each major 

 geographic section and in more detail in succeeding 

 chapters. However, some major points are noted 

 here. 



First, uses of forests and rangelands take place in 

 many different combinations depending on the char- 

 acter of the lands, their past treatment, their present 

 ownership and management, and even the time of 



23 



