Helena and Lewis & Clark National Forests Forest Plan Assessment Chapter 5, Social, Cultural, and Economic Conditions 2015 Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................... 1 Process and Methods ............................................................................................................................................ 2 Scale ................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Existing Information .................................................................................................................................................. 3 Existing Condition ...................................................................................................................................................... 3 Culture and Lifestyles ............................................................................................................................................ 3 The Social Environment ......................................................................................................................................... 3 West ................................................................................................................................................................... 4 North ................................................................................................................................................................. 5 Central ............................................................................................................................................................... 7 East .................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Land Ownership ................................................................................................................................................... 11 West ................................................................................................................................................................. 11 North ............................................................................................................................................................... 12 Central ............................................................................................................................................................. 13 East .................................................................................................................................................................. 13 Land Development, Land Use, and the Wildland Urban Interface ...................................................................... 14 West ................................................................................................................................................................. 16 North ............................................................................................................................................................... 17 Central ............................................................................................................................................................. 18 East .................................................................................................................................................................. 19 Demographic Conditions and Trends .................................................................................................................. 20 West ................................................................................................................................................................. 21 North ............................................................................................................................................................... 23 Central ............................................................................................................................................................. 25 East .................................................................................................................................................................. 26 Economic Conditions and Trends ........................................................................................................................ 28 Commodity Sectors ......................................................................................................................................... 28 Travel and Tourism .......................................................................................................................................... 39 Natural Amenities and the Economy ............................................................................................................... 41 Employment and Income ................................................................................................................................ 49 Wildland Dependency ..................................................................................................................................... 77 Federal Land Payments to States ........................................................................................................................ 80 Helena and Lewis & Clark National Forest’s Contributions to the Plan Area Economy ...................................... 91 Process and Methods ...................................................................................................................................... 91 Resource Program Data Used .......................................................................................................................... 92 Assessing the Economic Contributions of Major Industries in the HLC NFs Plan Area ................................... 93 HLC NFs Contributions to the Plan Area Economy .......................................................................................... 97 Recreation – A Special Case ............................................................................................................................. 99 The Secondary Area of Influence ...................................................................................................................... 100 Missoula, Anaconda-Deer Lodge, Gallatin, Park, Sweet Grass, Golden Valley, Yellowstone Counties......... 100 Climate Change Impacts .................................................................................................................................... 105 Vulnerability of Rural Communities .............................................................................................................. 105 Vulnerability associated with biophysical changes in the ecosystem ........................................................... 108 Environmental Justice ....................................................................................................................................... 110 West ............................................................................................................................................................... 111 North ............................................................................................................................................................. 113 Central ........................................................................................................................................................... 116 East ................................................................................................................................................................ 119 Trends and Drivers ................................................................................................................................................ 121 Information Needs................................................................................................................................................. 121 References ............................................................................................................................................................. 121 Tables Table 5.1 Population in the west area, 2000-2012 ................................................................................................... 5 Table 5.2 Population in the north area, 2000-2012 .................................................................................................. 6 Table 5.3 Population change in the central area, 1990-2012 ................................................................................... 8 Table 5.4 Population in the east area, 2000-2012 .................................................................................................. 10 Table 5.5 Land ownership, HLC NFs primary plan area-west .................................................................................. 12 Table 5.6 Land ownership, HLC NFs primary plan area-north ................................................................................. 12 Table 5.7 Land ownership, HLC NFs primary plan area-central .............................................................................. 13 Table 5.8 Land ownership, HLC NFs primary plan area-east 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