3: Open Space
Conserve Open Space Other Information:
Outcome: Maintain the environmental, social, and economic benefits of forests and grasslands by reducing and mitigating their
conversion to other uses. Overview: Open space provides many environmental, social, and economic benefits to rural and urban
communities. Undeveloped forests and grasslands, including working farms, ranches, and timber lands, help protect water quality,
conserve native wildlife, and provide renewable timber and nontimber products, places to recreate, and scenic beauty. These
"green spaces" elevate home values and generate jobs and economic vitality. Current population growth trends show a steady
loss of these vital open spaces to developed uses. The Forest Service, in partnership with State forestry agencies, annually
helps communities develop sustainable urban and community forestry programs. Communities use urban forest management plans
to help mitigate the impacts of existing and new developments on open space. Urban forest management plans, derived from urban
tree and forest resource inventories, include protection and management recommendations that become key components of community
development and open-space planning. During this strategic planning period, the following objectives will be our major focus
for accomplishing this goal. Means and Strategies for Accomplishing Goal 3: • Monitor land use change and develop tools to
predict and evaluate the interaction between public lands and other ownerships across the rural-urban continuum.• Develop
and disseminate management strategies to mitigate habitat loss and fragmentation impacts on plant and animal communities at
the landscape level.• Promote strategic conservation and environmentally sensitive development planning in and adjacent to
communities to preserve and restore forested landscapes and urban tree cover.• Identify those lands that are most at risk
for conversion and those that are most important for providing public benefits and take the following actions:• Acquire land
adjacent to or near NFS lands through purchase, conveyance, boundary adjustments, and donations to protect priority forest
areas. • Protect private forests in partnership with States through permanent conservation easements and land acquisition
(e.g., the Forest Legacy Program).• Continue NFS grazing permits to maintain associated base properties as sustainable working
ranches. • Provide technical assistance to landowners to accomplish the following goals:• Increase the economic viability
of private forest lands with income derived from the marketing of forest products, woody biomass, ecosystem services, and
recreation.• Develop forest stewardship plans to identify sustainable management goals and practices for landowners’ land.•
Increase landowners’ understanding of forest taxation and estate-planning strategies.• Promote community planning for sustainable
tourism and recreation that provide economic incentives to maintain open space lands.• Provide educational, technical, and
financial assistance to urban communities and urban/suburban landowners to restore environmental services through urban forestry,
agroforestry, and "green infrastructure" approaches.• Coordinate national forest plan revisions with local land-use plans
to minimize the impacts of new and existing developments on NFS resources and management activities.
Objective(s):
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