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Many of America’s national forests and grasslands—collectively called the National Forest System—face increased risks and alterations from escalating housing development on private rural lands along their boundaries. National forests and grasslands provide critical social, ecological, and economic benefits to the American public. This study projects future housing density increases on private rural lands at three distances—2, 3, and 10 miles—from the external boundaries of all national forests and grasslands across the conterminous United States. Some 21.7 million acres of rural private lands (about 8 percent of all private lands) located within 10 miles of the National Forest System boundaries are projected to undergo increases in housing density by 2030. Nine national forests are projected to experience increased housing density on at least 25 percent of adjacent private lands at one or more of the distances considered. Thirteen national forests and grasslands are each projected to have more than a half-million acres of adjacent private rural lands experience increased housing density. Such development and accompanying landscape fragmentation pose substantial challenges for the management and conservation of the ecosystem services and amenity resources of National Forest System lands, including access by the public. Research such as this can help planners, managers, and communities consider the impacts of local land use decisions.

As a federal land management agency, the USDA’s Forest Service has an ongoing National Forest land exchange and acquisition program. In preparing for a $907,600 land exchange with a large industrial forestland owner, the author was requested to evaluate the wetland resource in accordance with Forest Service policy developed as a result of Executive Order 11990, Protection of Wetlands. In a land exchange federal agencies are required under E.O. 11990 either to reference restricted uses under identified regulations in conveyance documents, to attach appropriate restrictions, or to retain wetlands in federal ownership. It has been determined that there is no net loss of wetlands if the value of wetlands traded is equalled or exceeded by those received. This “balancing test” is the basis for wetland evaluations in land exchangs. Most published evaluation methods were developed for regulatory purposes to assist in the review of applications to alter wetlands. The method used in the 1983 2,111 hectare exchange with Mead Corporation was a simplification of Reppert’sWetland Values, Concepts and Methods for Wetlands Evaluation. Numerical ratings were assigned to all wetlands through office and field evaluations to determine if an equitable trade-off of wetland values could be found. Concurrently there was an appraisal of land value to determine a balance of real estate value. A brief examination and comparison of the Federal Highway Administration March 1983 assessment method and the Ministry of Natural Resources of Ontario Province evaluation system with Reppert’s method is presented.