MULTIPLE-USE MANAGEMENT FOR RECREATION IN THE EAST

by ROBERT L. PRAUSA, Branch Chief, Recreation Management, Eastern Region, Forest Service, U. S. Department of Agn'culture, Milwaukee, Wis.

ABSTRACT. An overview of the complex management problems that confront the administrator of National Forest lands in the eastern United States, with emphasis on the conflicts that occur and will intensify as a result of the many demands for different kinds of recreation opportunities on National Forest System lands. The need to identify and measure the kinds of recreation opportunities these lands can provide is brought out, together with their relationships to lands of other ownership providing other kinds of recreation opportunities.

OMPLEXITY AND DIVERSITY A worker is not anxious to end air pollution C characterize the Eastern Region of the if it also means an end to his job. The United States. Within each physio- affluent suburban dweller wants more and graphic province there are wide variations better highways, not only to speed his in soils, topography, vegetation, water, and travel to and from work, thereby giving climate. Such variations lead to great dif- him more time to recreate, but also to help ferences in patterns of land use and in the speed him away from congested areas for mixture of manufacturing, mining, and a quiet weekend of solitude before hurry- commerce as well as the outdoor recreation ing back to the city with its pollution, opportunities these lands afford. ulcers, noise, dented fenders, nameless The East is also characterized by a com- neighbors, and X-rated movies. plex and diverse populace. The trend to- ward migration from rural to urban living THE FOREST LAND is perhaps greater in this region than any- Throughout the heterogeneous mix of where else. Certainly the East has greater development and cultures lie the National life-style contrasts than any other section Forests of the East. They occupy only 2.6 of the country. Every major city has its percent of the land area in the region. affluent suburbs and its ghettos. Some of the Twenty states are included within the rural countryside is made up of pleasant, bounds of the region, and 13 of them have prosperous farms just one drainage re- National Forest lands. One of the most moved from a "tobacco road." significant statistics having a bearing upon Obviously people living in these varying the management of these National Forests cultures have differing needs and wants. is that over half of the population of the The ghetto dweller is not nearly as inter- United States lives within this area (fig. 1). ested in opportunities for outdoor recrea- Almost every state within the region tion as he is in bettering his living conditions. owns and manages some forest land. Four - Figure 1.-Population centers in the Eastern Region of the Forest Service. Each circle shows a population of at least 100,000 people- the larger the circle, the greater the population.

(Minnesota, Michigan, New York, and these lands provide recreation oppormni- Pennsylvania) each have more than 1 mil- ties for the millions of people living in the lion acres, most of which is forested. To- area. gether with local governments, the states Over the years, the Forest Service has in the East control approximately 12 per- tried to be all things to all people-espe- cent of the forested land. This compares cially in providing outdoor recreation. We with the 6 percent of forested land making found a need for large and highly devel- up the National Forests. Nine percent, or oped campgrounds-so we built them. We half again as much, is owned b forest responded to the need for wilderness op- industries, but 70 percent - thin lof it, portunities to the extent we had lands with nearly %-is in private ownership of tracts the characteristics of wilderness. We have of less than 500 acres held by some done our best to keep pace with the de- 2,000,000 different owners. mand for winter-sports activities. Power What these statistics mean is that there boating surged in popularity in the late is a crying need for coordinated resource 1950's and 60's, so the Forest Service moved planning of all forested lands in the East. to satisfy demands for recreation o por- This is especially true when related to how tunities for power boating, water si iing, and related sports. The list of recreation merchandising has been particularly notice- activities people engage in on the National able in winter recreation activity participa- Forests goes on and on. tion rates. At the October 1968 North- Actually, the fact that National Forest eastern Snowmobile Conference in Boston, lands have such diverse characteristics is the International Snowmobile Industry As- the main reason why they are found attrac- sociation revealed that five states have 70 tive by so man people interested in so percent of the Nation's snowmobiles: many different inds of recreation. Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Wis- t consin, and Maine, in that order. Contacts with sales personnel for this industry reveal A TIME OF CONFLICT that the same proportion still exists; and if anything, sales rates for these five states are But we are rapidly approaching a time slightly higher than in the rest of the of conflict between these varied interests. Nation. We are in the throes of conflict between the harvest of commodity resources and MULTIPLE USE the so called "social amenities" provided on The National Forests are managed under our wild lands. In speaking before a group of top-level Forest Service planners and the principles of multiple use and sustained managers, Dr. Brad Hainesworth referred yield to insure utilization of the various to multiple use as "the management of renewable resources, in a combination that conflicts". I think this is a very apt de- will best meet the needs of the American scription. people, without impairment of the pro- ductivity of the land. If we were to over- Certain kinds of recreation activity con- simplify the definition of multiple-use flict with the habits of wildlife; so recrea- planning, we could characterize it as an tion activities must be curtailed or ad- allocation of resources to use combinations justed. Unrestricted clearcutting conflicts by intuition, judgment, and physical char- with aesthetics and requires adjustments in acteristics ascertained by inventories. harvesting methods. And the list goes on. It is in the inventory phase that we find Hardly a management task can be under- the greatest deficiencies. Though we have taken that does not result in a conflict with sound inventories of commercial timber, one or more of other benefits or uses of soil surveys on many areas, and general National Forest lands. locations of potential recreation-develop- Since the early 1900's major changes in ment sites, there are many serious gaps m the landscape of the East have been caused our basic resource inventories, especially b the construction and mining industries. capacities of the land to provide dispersed dwhousing, water impoundments, air- recreation opportunities. This paucity of ports, highways, shopping centers, factories, data is serious and could contribute to in- etc., have made substantial impacts on the accuracies in planning or management forested and other rural lands in this highly decisions that are improper and irrevocable. concentrated area of population. Also, the As demands for products and services region has more surface mining than other from National Forest lands increase, we regions. Yet the proportion of cropland find ourselves faced with what Dr. Marshall reverting to woodland is higher than any- Goldman of Wellesley College defines as where else except in parts of the South. an "environmental disruption". Dr. Gold- Shorter working hours, greater affluence, man attributes part of our difficuIty to the and improved transportation, systems allow fact that Americans have often been unsure more and more people to participate in of the goal they were pursuing. Some are outdoor recreation. These participation seeking purity of air and water; some are rates are further accelerated through mer- concerned only about air; others only about chandising efforts of manufacturers of water-without understanding that the en- sporting equipment, owners of resorts, and vironment must be considered as a coor- real-estate developers. The influence of dinated whole. In other words, the ecological system is ing to this drive, it is important for land self-contained. The output of a process managers to carefully plan all uses of wild- becomes the input of a subsequent opera- lands. In speaking at a recreation seminar tion. When one of the outputs is released in Spokane, Washington, last March, Re- in such quantities that it cannot be ab- gional Forester Jay Cravens commented on sorbed adequately as an input by other ~OYNthe recent controversy over timber- processes, we would normally end up with harvesting practices on the Monongahela an environmental disruption. Avoiding such National Forest in West Virginia was a environmental disruptions requires the dramatic example of the changing attitudes greatest skill and periception in practicing about resource development. He went on multiple-use management. to say that the most significant feature of This brings us back to Dr. Hainesworth's this West Virginia experience was the way definition of multiple use being the man- the public "cracked our bureaucratic in- agement of conflict. I have already referred stallation," reaffirming their right to de- to one of the conflicts between utilization mand action. And through this experience of a commodity resource and social amenity we have also learned that being sensitive to values. In my opinion, these conflicts- puldic concern does not necessarily lead to between the use of land by people for cornpromise of professional expertise. On recreation and the harvesting of commodity the contrary, in most instances, it tends to resources-will be temporary. They can and sharpen it. will be solved through more careful land- We must be concerned not only with use planning and by adopting techniques how commodity resources are managed on for harvesting commodity resources that forested lands in relation to the use of these are acceptable to the public. lands for social amenities, but also with the fact that full development of National PEOPLE VS. PEOPLE Forest lands and waters for recreation op- portunities in the East may not be in the But there is another conflict that will be best public interest. much more difficult to resolve. This is what I like to refer to as the people-versus-people conflict. It concerns the conflicts brought WILDERNESS about by growth and diversity of various recreation uses of wild lands. Bennie Swift There is only one small classified wilder- of the National Wildlife Federation said a ness in this region-the Great Gulf in New few years ago, "The recreationist is rapidly Hampshire. The Boundary Waters Canoe overgrazing his pasture and is becoming a Arcs, although an element of the Wilder- greater menace than logging". nes.; Preservation System, is not a true wil- Rapidly increasing numbers of residents derness in that motors have been in use are purchasing small acreages in rural areas there for decades and, even now, are per- to serve as weekend retreats from noise, air mitted on much of the area; and much of pollution, and the routine daily urban life. the area has been and is again being logged. Many professional and business people who There are no other tracts of National became interested in ecological develop- Forest land in this region having character- ment of their properties place a high value istits that qualify them as potential wilder- on the amenities of the woodland environ- ness as defined by the Wilderness Act. ment. This desire for a contrast with the However, I believe that the majority of daily way of life is reflected elsewhere the populace in the East would be satisfied throughout the populace, and more and with much less than a "pure wilderness more people are interested in escaping to experience". In writing in the October 1970 what the manager may term a "dispersed issue of Current History, Ken Davis de- environment". Peo le want to get away fined wilderness as a frame of mind. Re- from the visible e2 ects of man's actions. gardless of the precise definition, in the This is what accounts for much of the mind of the visitor these are still wilderness anti-timber harvesting feeling. In respond- experiences. With a few exceptions, the few remaining tracts of land having the ists. Also, it will be important to plan for characteristics to provide this kind of rec- people's use of land and water to avoid reation experience are within the National conflict or minimize it as much as prac- Forests of the East. It behooves us to pre- ticable. There are already examples of such serve the proper use-capacity of such lands conflicts within the Eastern Region of the and not to automatically and carelessly re- Forest Service. spond to public pressure for more camp One concerns the use of the Pine River grounds, more boat ramps, more roads, and on the Manistee National Forest in Lower other improvements. Michigan. This stream attracts canoeists of An example of one development that I all ages because the current moves swiftly think would be a misguided effort to solve without being dangerous, and the scenery a recreation problem concerns the South is very attractive. Furthermore, there are Branch of the Potomac River in the Spruce eight canoe liveries with 600 canoes lo- Knobs-Seneca Rocks National Recreation cated along the upper reaches of the stream. Area. The stretch of this stream from the The net result is that, on almost any week- Smoke Hole to where it leaves the Forest, end of the summer, the canoeing use of the near Petersburg, is extremely scenic and stream is so heavy it is impossible for a fine for white-water canoeing. The one trout fisherman to fish it during daylight campground located in Smoke Hole canyon hours. This would not be too serious except is literally bursting at the seams every that the Pine River produces mainly brown weekend during the summer. Those who trout, which the avid fisherman seeks in are successful in obtaining a camp unit for the early morning or late evening fishing a summer weekend usually arrive by Thurs- hours, and the conflicts so far are not in- day evening. surmountable. Now, it would be possible to solve this problem of overuse by developing addi- tional campgrounds along a road, down- stream. And these campgrounds would be used just as heavily as the present one in Smoke Hole Canyon. But in my opinion, opportunities for a "quality recreation ex- perience" would be sacrificed through such development. Another example where a response to demand for development could be a mis- take is along the Kancamagus Highway in the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. This is a scenic drive that attracts hundreds of thousands of recrea- tion visitors each year, especially in the fall when the leaves have turned color. There are now six campgrounds along the high- way. It is close to being overdeveloped at the present time. Any additional develo - ment will certainly begin to erode away t Re scenic quality that this drive was originally designed to enhance.

OVERUSE

It is also necessary to guard against over- Figure 2.40 empties to return: just throw use by hikers, cyclists, snowmobilers, in- 'em in the water or leave 'em on the beach! discriminate campers, fishermen, and canoe- Ads like this do not discourage littering. Another example of people-versus-people mitted only on designated trails and ad- conflicts is in the Boundary Waters Canoe jacent lakes, there was no evidence of real Area (BWCA). A'lanv people go to this conflict between various users of the area unique area expecting-to have a wilderness or between this mechanized use and re- experience. Upon arriving there they find source productivit . However, there is still not only hundreds of similar canoe parties, room for more re I?'ned studies of the effects but motorboats and much other evidence of snowmobiles on the environment. of man's presence. The BWCA is one area A few people have expressed concern where the conflict of people versus people about timber harvesting by selection-system began over 40 years ago. cutting in overmature stands in Sylvania. Figure 2 shows an ad run by Consolidated However, one small sale was completed Can Corporation in Hunting and Fishing late in 1970; and a person can now traverse Magazine in 1936, in which they extolled this area and not even be aware that it has the virtues of beer in cans and showed how recently been cut. convenient they are because once used they ~avin~viewed the status of Sylvania may be simply tossed away. Note that one during the past year, I am convinced that picture in the ad shows a man in a boat it is a fine example of management. There throwing the can into the water. Beginning are some things that, using hindsight, we this year, visitors to the BWCA were pro- would do differently if we could begin hibited from even having cans or glass again. But none is really serious although containers in their possession. they are noted and are used in adjusting management of not only Sylvania but also DILEMMA other areas. In the Sylvania area on the Ottawa NEED FOR PLANNING National Forest, the Forest Service has been faced with the dilemma of trying to satisfy The problems are really complex. And on one hand the desires of the preserva- what about the solutions? Very simply, the tionists who want no development of the answer is good planning. Furthermore, to area and on the other hand the local resi- achieve good planning, there are two re- dents and other recreationists who would lated basic necessities: coordination with like to see full and complete development plans for states, other agencies, and private -including roads, highly developed sites, lands; and the gathering of better data. resorts, etc. Our final plan of management Earlier I mentioned the great diversity was not intended to be a compromise, but of land ownership in the Eastern States. All the result is an area where most recreation these lands provide some form of recrea- visitors can satisfy their particular needs tion for varying segments of the populace. without conflict with one another. Devel- Many of them are being developed to en- opment is concentrated along the northern hance recreation opportunities. Such devel- and western edges of the area (fig. I), leav- opment on state, county, and municipal ing the major acreage undeveloped except lands has accelerated rapidly in recent years for canoe-access camps, hiking trails, and as government appropriations have become portages. This plan seems to be working available under the Land and Water Con- out well. servation Fund Act, grants and loans from There are other conflicts that must be the Department of Housing and Urban dealt with in the management of Sylvania, Development, and similar programs. and personnel on the Ottawa National The recreation opportunities that lands Forest are doing a yeoman job of meeting in other ownerships can and do provide are these conflicts. The original management significant, and the management of the plan indicated that snowmobiling would be National Forest system must complement permitted in the area. Many of the groups and not unnecessarily duplicate these op- who would like to see only nonrnotorized portunities if the total recreation demand use of Sylvania objected to this. However, is to be met. after 2 years when snowmobiling was per- The conflicts between users indicate that forest acres are nonexpandable. What rec- source, including measurement of the reation should the Forest Service provide- quality of land and water to provide recrea- and for what people? Since the National tion opportunities. Also, we simply cannot Forests have the little remaining undevel- do effective planning without some meas- oped forested lands in the East, it seems urement of the capacity, both social and readily apparent that management efforts phvsical, of these lands and waters to pro- should be directed toward maintaining the vide quality recreation. Optimum mix of capacity to provide the optimum amount production from all forest resources in any of dispersed recreation opportunities. size of ecosystem is not static and requires First, as a general rule, developments the best possible scientific management. should be installed only to enhance these The last ten years have provided more dispersed recreation opportunities. Most of meaningful recreation research than ever the lands owned privately or by state and before; yet these efforts are barely keeping local governments are along the major pace with the increase in traditional recrea- routes of travel or in the vicinity of cities tional activities, not to mention activities and towns. Consequently they lend them- not even contemplated 20 years ago. Mod- selves better to the development of recrea- ern technology is producing new forms and tion facilities for the transient visitor. But means of recreation faster than research this is not the total answer, because all lands can provide data with which the land obviously do not fit this convenient mold. manager can meet these demands for rec- Therefore, the answer is coordinated plan- reation opportunities. ning be&een landowners, analyzing' the Snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, light- uses the lands are best suited to provide and weight motorcycles, and similar recreation then, as the young folks say today, "getting vehicles are causing conflicts that will re- it all together." quire carefully considered management de- Second, we need better statistical and cisions. Hovercraft are on the horizon, and inventory data. We simply do not have an they may be the recreation vehicle of the adequate description and measure of the future. Yet too many of the decisions being resources. In some areas there is a good made today in relation to these new recrea- timber inventory; we are beginning to get tion pursuits are made on the basis of in- a reasonably good picture of the wildlife adequate study and research. We simply population and habitat; a better soils in- do not have facts. ventory is under way, and water quality is As the saying goes, "We've come a long being pinpointed-at least in suspected pol- way, baby." But renewed efforts are neces- luted waters. But there are many gaps in sary if we are to meet the challenges ahead. the availability of resource data. The reassuring thing is that no one is giv- ing up. This symposium and other similar efforts will help to make it possible for the DATA NEEDED administrator of the future to meet prob- One of the greatest voids in available lems and opportunities more fully assured data is a description of the recreation re- that his management will be successful.