Four Threats - Background
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Healthy Forests Make for a Healthy Nation.
Keeping America’s forests and grasslands healthy requires
restoring and rehabilitating damaged areas to: (1) prevent severe
wildfires, (2) stop the introduction, establishment, and spread
of invasive species, (3) reduce the conversion of forest and grasslands
that leads to fragmentation of rural landscapes through subdivision,
and (4) manage impacts of motorized recreation vehicles by restricting
use to designated roads and trails.
Chief Bosworth poses beside the Four Threats display exhibited at the Outdoor Writers Associations of America conference held in Spokane, WA.
Over the next few years, the Forest Service will restore and rehabilitate
damaged lands and will actively manage critical resources.
The Forest Service Strategic Plan provides a new framework for accomplishing
the Agency’s mission and incorporates actions to resolve four
major threats to America’s forests and grasslands. Forest
Service leadership is committed to removing the “Four Threats”
from the national landscape. This is a necessary action in order
to achieve long-term outcomes: clean air, clean water, conserving
wildlife, and protecting communities from wildfire.
Forest Service actions to achieve these outcomes are important contributions
to enhancing the quality of life for Americans:
Actions needed to address the Four Threats include:
Fire and fuels—Restore
healthy, disturbance-resilient ecosystems on lands at risk from
catastrophic fire, improving the condition and function of critically
important watersheds, and sustaining critical wildlife habitat nationwide.
Invasive
species—Protect forest and rangeland ecosystems
by preventing the release of non-native species and by controlling
the spread, or eradicating, invasive species.
Loss of open
space—Conserve the nation’s forests
and rangelands most at risk due to subdivision and land conversion
by working with partners, communities and landowners to balance
development with sustaining ecosystem services and viable working
landscapes.
Unmanaged
recreation—Work with partners to develop
travel management plans that regulate the use of OHVs on designated
roads, trails, and parks in an appropriate manner.
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