Table 4.17 — Relative importance of problems faced by managers of wildlife and fish associated with 

 forest and range lands in the United States, by region, as judged by Forest Service wildlife and 



fisheries biologists^ 





Northeast, 



North 



Central 



Southeast, 

 South 

 Central 



Rocky Mountains — Great Plains 



Pacific Coast 



Alaska 



Hawaii, 



Type of problem 



Northern 



East 

 Central 



West 

 Central 



Southern 





Puerto 

 Rico 





Northern 



Southern 



Conversion of vegetative 

 types by man 



1 



1 



2 



1 



1 



1 



1 



1 



2 



1 



Loss of wetlands and 



1 



2 



1 



1 



1 



1 



1 



1 



2 



1 



riparian zones 























Loss of specialized 

 habitats especially old 

 growth, snags 



1 



1 



1 



2 



1 



1 



1 



1 



2 



1 



Broad disturbances from 

 urban development 



1 



2 



2 



1 



1 



1 



2 



1 



2 



2 



Broad disturbances from 

 energy development 



1,3^ 



1,3^ 



2 



1 



1 



1 



1 



1 



1 



3 



Restrictions on manage- 

 ment in special-use 

 areas 



2 



1 



1 



1 



1 



1 



2 



3 



1 



3 



Lack of habitat diversity 



2 



3 



1 



2 



1 



2 



1 



1 



2 



2 



Deteriorating water quality 



1,2^ 



2 



2 



2 



2 



1 



1 



2 



1 



3 



Inadequate water quantity 

 or inadequate 

 distribution 



^.3' 



3 



2 



2 



1 



1 



1 



1 



3 



3 



Fragmentation of habitats 



2 



3 



2 



2 



2 



2 



2 



1 



3 



1 



Loss of habitats through 

 natural plant succession 



1,2^ 



1 



2 



2 



1 



3 



3 



2 



2 



3 



Industrial and mining 

 pollution 



1 



2 



3 



1 



2 



2 



3 



2 



2 



3 



Inadequate harvest 

 regulation 



3 



1 



3 



3 



3 



3 



2 



3 



1 



1 



Competition of nonnative 

 species 



3 



1,3' 



3 



3 



2 



2 



3 



2 



3 



1 



Poor health of animal 

 population (parasites, 

 diseases) 



3 



3 



2 



3 



3 



2 



3 



3 



3 



2 



' "1" means judged most important. 



' 1 — Appalachia. 3 — elsewhere. 



'2 — Lake States, 1 — elsewhere. 



' 1 — Interior North Central, 3 — elsewhere, 



M — Lake States: 2 — Interior North Central. 



' 1 — Texas. 3 — elsewhere. 



135 



