Download Forest Service Open Space Strategy

News of Spatial Interest
April 21, 2008
In This Issue
 Open Space Strategy
Open Space Links
National Strategy
Read the Forest Service Open Space
Conservation Strategy.
GAO Report
A review and analysis of the increase
in large fire suppression costs – and
comments on the hazard of private
forestland conversion.
Fire Suppression Costs
Examples of 2007 fire suppression
costs in rural areas on the edge of
National Forests.
State & Private Forestry
Regional office contacts.
Discussion
Post your comments about the
strategy.
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Volume 1, Number 2
Forest Service Open Space Strategy
The USDA Forest Service published a
National Open Space Conservation Strategy
in late fall of 2007.
The document,
prepared with partners across the country,
defines a vision for conservation in the 21st
century: an interconnected network of open
space across landscape that supports
healthy ecosystems and a high quality of
life for Americans.
The timing of the
published strategy followed an active 2007
fire season.
Idaho received the dubious distinction of most acres burned for the
year – 1.9 million out of a national total of 9.3 million acres. The
high costs of fire suppression reinforced an earlier report (2006) by
the Government Accounting Office that residential development
adjacent to national forests causes a high proportion of large fire
suppression costs. Fire related costs, over $1 billion a year,
suppress other Forest Service program activities. The conservation
strategy faces a resource challenge for implementation within the
budget constraints of the Forest Service. The catch-22 is that the
lack of funding will defer forest conservation activity, and land use
conversion near national forests will very likely expand,
contributing to further increases in private property hazards and
the associated fire suppression costs.
The first of four priority actions in the strategic plan is to convene
partners to identify and protect priority open space. Land trusts
have the potential to play a major role in a partnership to conserve
privately owned forests. Timing and details of the implementation
will vary by Forest Service Region, but all regions will follow the
four general guides listed below. Ask State & Private Forestry in
your region about implementation activities.
Four Priority Actions to Guide Implementation
 Convene partners to identify and protect priority open
space.
 Promote national policies and markets to help private
landowners conserve open space.
 Provide resources and tools to help communities expand
and connect open spaces.
 Participate in community growth planning to reduce
ecological impacts and wildfire risk.