Forest-Range Environmental Study: A Scientific Tool for Determining National Range Grazing Policy

With the recognition that land and other natural resources are finite and that quality of land management and cost must be considered along with quantity of products, a new sophistication in land management has been developing in the last few years. This kind of management requires full consideration of all resources and all uses including livestock grazing on forests and rangelands. To get information needed for defining the present and future role of livestock grazing in the new environmental context, the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, with the help of a number of other agencies and the University of Nebraska, undertook a national study of all the forests and rangelands in the 48 contiguous States. The emphasis of the study was to define land-management policy alternatives that would contribute productively to meeting society's needs while enhancing quality of the natural environment at the smallest cost. The study, designated as Forest-Range Environmental Study (FRES), provides an up-to-date, detailed picture of the current and future production of resources and the role of grazing on all forest lands and rangelands.