[20211216]IF12001_美国森林所有权和管理.pdf

https:/crsreports.congress.gov December 16, 2021U.S. Forest Ownership and ManagementThe United States contains 765 million acres of forestland. The potential scope of congressional involvement in U.S. forest resources varies, based primarily on ownership. The majority (69%) of U.S. forests are nonfederal forests: forests that are owned by private entities or state and local governments. The remaining 31% of U.S. forests are federally owned. The distribution of forest ownership varies nationwide and across the four major regions as defined in the Forest Resources of the United States report prepared by the U.S. Forest Service; see Figure 1 and Figure 2. Most of the forests in the North and South regions are nonfederal, whereas most of the forests in the Rocky Mountain (Rockies) and Pacific Coast (Pacific) regions are federal. The variation in ownership patterns arises in part from the historic pattern of land settlement across the United States. For a more in-depth discussion, see CRS Report R46976, U.S. Forest Ownership and Management: Background and Issues for Congress. Role of Congress Congress has a direct role in the management of forests owned by the federal government but an