Name: _____________________________________________
Chapter 8: Land
“The size of the parcel of land matters less than the relationship of the people to it.” Frances Moore Lappe and Joseph
Collins
VOCABULARY
1. clear-cutting
2. Deforestation
3. Infrastructure
4. land-use planning
5. Mineral
6. mineral resources
7. open-pit mining
8. Ore
9. Overgrazing
10. Reclamation
11. Reforestation
12. selective cutting
13. strip mining
14. suburban sprawl
15. urban crisis
16. Urbanization
17. wilderness
Ch. 8, Section 8.1: The City
NOTES
• In 1982, California used maps, aerial photos, field surveys and computerized mapping to see how much land was
being used.
• Over 8 years time, nearly 210,000 acres (84, 000 hectares) of productive farmland, rangeland and woodlands were
converted into towns and cities.
• Big concern: Prime agricultural land, forests and rangelands are being converted to cities.
The Urban-Rural Connection
•
•
•
U.S. Census describes an urban area, or city, as a place with at least 5000 people per square mile
About 2% of our country’s land is urban lands, 80% of Americans live in urban areas. By 2025, most likely 2/3
of the world’s population will live in cities
Urban dwellers rely heavily on the resources of their surrounding environment – forests, croplands, rangelands
Urbanization
•
•
•
•
Until mid 1800’s, most people lived in villages and worked in surrounding land (farming); others managed
forests, worked in mines, mills or manufacturing
Today, farms are operated on less people, more machinery
Transportation created less need to manufacturer to be located near customers; more people are moving to cities
for employment
Urbanization – growth of cities as people move from rural to urban areas; occurred rapidly between 1880 and
1950; today, occurring most rapidly in developing countries
The Urban Crisis
•
•
•
Many cities have a difficult time keeping up with the number of people moving into the cities; faster than the
number of jobs available and infrastructures available; thus increasing unemployment and increasing deterioration
of living conditions
Infrastructures are roads, sewers, railroads, bridges, canals, police and fire stations, schools, libraries, hospitals,
water and power lines
In developing countries, squatter settlements develop on the edge of overcrowded cities
Suburban Sprawl
•
•
Described as the development of housing and strip malls extending out around a city; offer more living space for
less money, lower crime rates, more privacy
Suburbs spread out over 2.5 million acres per year (1 million hectares); Los Angeles area has the largest and
fastest growing area of suburban sprawl in the world
Land-Use Planning
•
•
•
1960’s (in Washington, D.C.) a commission established a plan to develop cities every 4 miles along a series of
transportation corridors extending out from the city; like spokes on a wheel (called wedges-and-corridors)
This plan allowed for wedges of non-urban, open spaces for recreation, agriculture and conservation of natural
resources; allowed for growth and development for growing population; established itself as a leader in land-use
planning (planning in advance for living space and natural space)
Montgomery County had insight in planning for future growth; many other cities have been overwhelmed by
rapid growth before they could develop a plan
Mass Transportation
•
•
•
One of the biggest annoyances of a big city is the traffic; roads are clogged with cars, usually carrying only 1
person
In 1993, it cost an individual in US about $1700/yr. in gasoline and maintenance; Europeans pay about ½ that
amount using mass transportation (buses, subways, trains)
Mass transportation is economical, energy-efficient, reduces highway congestion, air pollution and land loss
Inner-City Renovation
•
•
As people leave the cities, so do businesses; city areas fall into disrepair when they are not getting the money the
businesses were providing
Many cities are now receiving grants from the government, tax dollars and other assistance to induce private
citizens to renovate areas (urban-renewal projects)
Open Spaces
•
•
•
•
The wedges in Montgomery County serve a valuable purpose: these open spaces alleviate many of the problems
experienced in crowded cities (provide parks, pools, areas to bike, hiking trails, historical settings, gardens,
agricultural areas)
Benefits: give a place to escape crowded, noisy conditions in the city, civic activities, concerts, socialization
Green space absorb carbon dioxide, produce oxygen, filter out pollutants, cool a city in summer months
Areas with vegetation help reduce drainage problems (can absorb water runoff from rain and melting snow)
Ch. 8, Section 8.2: How We Use Land
NOTES
• As populations grow, more land and resources are needed to support it; come from rural lands
• Non-urban lands are being harvested: forests (for paper, furniture and home construction); grasslands (supporting
livestock); mineral resources
• These areas are becoming stressed by overuse
Harvesting Trees
•
•
•
•
Harvested trees are used for making paper, furniture, home building; we use an enormous amount of wood
Worldwide: 1800 cu. Cm of wood per person each day; In US, we use 3.5 times this amount (equal to one 30 m
tree/year)
1.5 billion people in developing countries depend on firewood for fuel
Forest land is very valuable; In developing countries, many are being removed for farming or ranching; thought
to improve quality of life
Deforestation
•
•
•
•
Forests are being cleared at an alarming rate and has become an environmental issue
Defined as the removal of tress without replacing them; most prevalent in tropical rain forests (developing
countries)
Rain forests have poor soil; cannot support crops for only a short time; therefore, farmers need to continuously
clear more forest areas
Two types of clearing the land: Clear-cutting (removing all the trees from the land – damages animal habitats,
increases soil erosion) & Selective cutting (removing only the middle aged or mature trees, the rest are left alone
and are replaced by the seedlings – less damaging to the environment.
Reforestation
•
•
•
•
•
The process of replacing trees that have died or been cut down; happens naturally from seeds that fall from nearby
trees or humans replant seeds or seedlings
When large numbers of trees are removed this cannot occur naturally because of the soil erosion and lack of shade
for the delicate seedlings
If successful, it can take 20 – 50 years or more to re-grow a forest
Some governments require reforestation; 90% of all timber comes from forests not managed by governments;
many are private owners
Many states now require private landowners to reforest after timber is harvested
Protecting Forests
•
•
•
Many governments are currently working to improve reforestation efforts and promote less destructive harvesting
methods
Private organizations have also established effective tree-planting programs; help to guarantee survival of forests
Important to have these programs to help protect our forests and their resources
Ranching
•
•
•
Rangelands support grasses and shrubs that are used by ranchers for grazing animals such as cattle, sheep and
goats
Essential for maintaining the world’s food supply
Current population growth indicates a 40% increase in food production from rangeland between 1977 and 2030
Problems on the Range
•
•
Grasses on the rangelands are highly adaptable and live through droughts, freezes, fires and animal grazing; the
growing point of the grasses is at the base of every leaf; if the upper portion of the leaf is damaged, it will grow
back; the root system consists of fibrous, dense mats; they hold the soil together to prevent erosion
Overgrazing in an area will destroy the grasses beyond recovery; ranching in some parts of the world has
contributed to the destruction of tropical forests
Maintaining the Range
•
•
•
Public Rangelands Improvement Act (1978) has helped to improve the management of public ranges; includes
two main components – grazing management and range improvement
Grazing management – limiting animal herds to sizes the land can support; moving animals around to protect the
plants
Range improvement – eliminating sagebrush and other weedy plants that invade overgrazed land; replanting
vegetation; digging water holes to keep livestock from overgrazing
Mining
•
•
•
A surprising amount of land is used for mining minerals; used in cars, stereos, refrigerators, buildings, concrete,
glass, brick and many other products we used everyday
Minerals – solid substances found in nature and consist of a single element or compound (salt, gold, silver, iron,
copper, aluminum)
Two methods for extracting minerals: open-pit mining - machines dig large holes and remove ore; and stripmining - huge bull-dozers and other machines are used to clear away large strips of the Earth’s surface
The Effects of Mining
•
•
•
Causes environmental damage; disruption of the land and ugly piles of waste materials left behind; habitats are
lost; natural ecosystems are disrupted
Large scale removal of vegetation can cause land erosion and landslides; toxic materials left behind can pollute
both air and water; lots of energy is used extract and process the material
US mines produce more waste than all the cities and towns combined; copper mines produce 1200 metric tons of
waste per metric ton of copper metal produced
Responsible Mining
•
•
•
One way to reduce the damage from mining is to restore the land to the condition it was before the mining began
(reclamation)
Environmental laws in the US now require companies to reclaim the mining sites on private land; some states
have laws requiring reclamation on private land
Another way to reduce the destructive effects of mining is to reduce the need for more minerals – by recycling
Ch 8, Section 8.3: Public Land in the United States
NOTES
• In the early 1870’s, explorers expressed concern about the vast beauty of the west and asked the government to
set aside that land for public use; birth of our national parks
• The US government established 55 national parks and other protected lands to be used as public lands
• US has encouraged other nations to do the same
This Land Belongs to You and Me
•
•
•
40% of all the land in the US is publicly owned
Managed by federal, state and local governments
Most of this government owned land is out west and Alaska; if you are a US citizen, you are a partial owner of
these lands
Managing Our Public Land
•
•
•
Because land resources are so valuable, this land can be used in several ways (multiple-use management); proving
the greatest value for the greatest number of people
Ex: National forest (recreation, logging, mining); private individuals and corporations can often harvest or extract
natural resources
Problem: different people have different ideas of how this land should be used; you will see battles between
developers and conservationists
Wilderness
•
•
•
Wilderness Act of 1964 defines wilderness as an area in which the land and the ecosystem it supports are
protected from all development
657 regions covering 104 million acres have been designated as wilderness (open to hiking, fishing, boating –
without a motor, camping); cannot build roads or use motorized equipment
Provides habitats for wild animals and plants
Troubled Lands
•
•
As populations grow, people are using those wilderness areas and destroying them by trampling plants, eroding
soil from trails and campsites, bathing, washing dishes (polluting rivers and streams), and leaving behind trash
Originally, mining and ranching were allowed in wilderness areas (until 1983); filed petitions to remain in
operation even to this day; nearby effects of grazing, logging, factories (air pollution) still affect these regions
today
“People Control” in Wilderness Areas
•
•
•
Limits have been established in some areas (how many people who can hike and camp); must apply for permits
Some areas are off limits to camping and are patrolled
Volunteers help to pick up trash and build trails; education programs are being implemented to help people better
understand and reduce the impact on the natural world
CASE STUDY
Page 216 - PUBLIC LANDS FOR THE ASKING
1. Some people suggest that many new jobs could be created by reclaiming abandoned mines and restoring the landscape
to it original state. They propose that such programs could be funded by mineral royalties. Do you think this is a good
solution to the possible loss of jobs associated with reforming the mining laws?
2. Do you think the value of minerals in terms of jobs and resources outweighs the possible environmental damage that
could result from mining activities? Why or why not?