Eastern Region

NICHE STATEMENT

COMPLEX SOCIAL SETTING

The Eastern Region is the most geographically, ecologically, and socially diverse area in the country. Regional boundaries contain 20 states with over 43% of the nation's population. Unlike Western forests, carved from virgin territory, Eastern forests were salvaged from overdeveloped land that had eroded into wastelands from excessive farming, logging and mining. Once called "the lands nobody wanted," they are becoming "the lands everyone wants," in high demand for a full spectrum of uses in the most heavily populated quadrant of the country. The national forests of the Eastern Region have truly become "islands of green in a sea of people."

The Eastern Region stands out as the most urban region of the country. Nine of the top 20 metropolitan areas of the U.S. are within the region's boundary. In addition, the southeast corner touches Washington, D.C. (the next closest Forest Service region has only three of the top 20 metro areas). Urban areas cross the entire region, forming an "urban band" of constituents. The urban interest and influence make management of the Eastern national forests extremely complex. City dwellers generally hold different values and demand different uses from the national forests than residents of rural counties adjacent to the forests. A recently commissioned study showed that 16% of the people in this urban band are interested in becoming more involved in national forest management, and the Eastern national forests are their doorway to the entire Forest Service.

COMPLICATED POLITICAL LANDSCAPE

The large population and large number of states in the region translate into a sizeable and influential political delegation. Forty percent of the members of the House and Senate Interior Appropriations Committees are from the Eastern Region. Forest supervisors take a front line role with all congressional representatives. In addition, the supervisors coordinate with numerous state governments, regional offices of other federal agencies, tribes, and state and local governments. The scope of these personal contacts is relatively unique in the Forest Service.

CHALLENGING OWNERSHIP PATTERNS

The boundaries of national forests in the East include 24 million acres of land. Yet within these boundaries, only one out of every two acres is national forest service. The intermingled public and private land ownership pattern makes management of the national forests extremely challenging. The region has a long history of productive partnerships and collaboration with many neighbors, including individuals, organizations, other government agencies, and tribes. Nurturing these long-term relationships has benefited the Eastern Region through better public support and less intense conflict than in other parts of the country.

RICH RESOURCES/INTENSE DEMAND

Forest Service restoration of "the lands nobody wanted" is one of the most dramatic success stories of resource conservation. Today the 12 million acres of National Forest System land are among the largest contiguous blocks of public land in the East, rich in biological diversity. The diversity supports endangered plant and animal species and the Eastern Region national forests hold many of the East's treasured National Wilderness Areas and Wild & Scenic Rivers. We manage these "lands everyone wants" for the needs of the present without compromising the ability to meet the needs of future generations. This principle of ecological, social, and economic sustainability is now the basis of our management, our guiding star.

Significant to the restoration efforts on these lands has been the application of an ecological, social, and economically sound vegetation management program. The Eastern Region continues to restore the great diversity of plant species across the region, attempting to bring back into balance the full range of forest habitat types, while at the same time producing significant amounts of wood fiber and quality hardwood products that are prized by national and international markets.

The Eastern Region is rich in water. More than 10,000 lakes (with nearly half on national forests), 15,000 miles of streams, and two million acres of wetlands provide clean drinking water for communities, healthy habitat for fish and wildlife, and recreation opportunities for millions of visitors. Almost half the nation's 45 million anglers fish the waters of the 20-state Eastern Region each year. Yet, when the East was first settled, rivers were straightened and dammed, and wetlands were drained. Today the region works hard with neighbors and partners to restore these watersheds.

Meanwhile, public use of national forest roads has skyrocketed. Recreation travel is over ten times what it was in the 1950s, with driving for pleasure the most popular form of recreation. National forest roads in the Eastern Region span more than 30,000 miles, linking the forests with almost half the U.S. population. Maintaining these roads is vital to communities and to the health of watersheds. Nearly 80 million people visit Eastern Region national forests each year. Water-based recreation is especially popular in these forests, where the extraordinary number of lakes and streams provide settings for canoeing, trophy fishing, and water skiing. Whether it's finding solitude in the wilderness, fishing on a lake, or skiing down a world-class ski run, the Eastern Region national forests have something for everyone.