Figure 5.2 



Geographic Distribution of Forests and Rangelands 

 in the Contiguous States, 1976 



Mil. Acres 



Rocky 



Mountains 



and 



Great Plains 



Forest 

 (553) 



Rangeland 

 (650) 



Figure 5.3 



Ownership of Range in the Contiguous States, 1976 



Mil. Acres 



Bureau 



of Land 



Managemen 



Other 

 Federal 



Total Range 

 (1203) 



Forest Land 

 (553) 



Rangeland 

 (650) 



the productivity of those lands. Livestock grazing is 

 recognized as one of the multiple uses and must be 

 managed consistent with maintaining the productiv- 

 ity of the land. Lands such as national parks, wildlife 

 refuges, and military reservations are administered by 

 other Federal agencies and are not managed for mul- 

 tiple uses, and grazing by livestock is often limited or 

 prohibited. As a result, most of these Federal lands 

 cannot be considered as suppliers of range grazing 

 under present laws and regulations. 



Condition of the Rangelands 



Many things may affect the productivity of the 

 Nation's forests and rangelands. Natural catastrophes 

 such as wildfires, insect and disease outbreaks, and 

 prolonged droughts can drastically modify the vege- 

 tation cover, at least for a short time. Some of man's 

 activities such as timber harvesting, off-road vehicles, 

 concentrated recreational use, and herbicides also 

 modify vegetation and soils. But, of all of man's activ- 



157 



