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California Forest Facts

CALIFORNIA
Wilderness - 56 areas for 4.5 million acres (22% of FS land in CA)
Wild & Scenic Rivers -
13 designated rivers totaling 1,070 miles (25% of FS national total)

NATIONAL
Wilderness -
Approximately 100 million acres (400,000 km²) are designated as wilderness in the United States. This accounts for 4.71% of the total land of the country; however, 54% of wilderness is in Alaska, and only 2.58% of the continental United States is designated as wilderness. Wikipedia Encyclopedia 2004

Update 2006- Currently there are now 104 million acres of designated Wilderness on public land in the continental United States. This is equal to the land mass of the states of Maine, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania combined. 273,000 acres of additional wilderness has been designated so far in 2006 and additional wilderness designation proposals are making their way through Congress. As our country converts more and more land into County, State and National Parks, Wilderness Areas and Wildlife Refuges it is becoming increasingly harder for the average recreationist to find a place to simply enjoy open space. It is not that we need more open space protected, it is that access to more and more acres of the country is being cut off to all but the hardiest backpacker. The person who has the health, the affluence and the ability to schedule their time in order meet the restrictions, not only of climatic conditions, but seasonal closures of areas.

 

Below are the Wilderness acreage figures for each agency from Wilderness.net

Bureau of Land Management agency shield image; click for more information Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management manages about 270 million acres, 7,796,837 of which are Wilderness. Among other activities, the Bureau conserves these lands and their historical and cultural resources for the public's use and enjoyment.

Fish and Wildlife Service agency shield image; click for more information Fish and Wildlife Service
The Fish and Wildlife Service conserves the nation's wild animals and their habitats by managing a system of more than 500 national wildlife refuges and other areas, totaling about 91 million acres of land and water, 20,730,636 of which are Wilderness.

Forest Service agency shield image; click for more information Forest Service
The Forest Service manages national forests and grasslands. It conducts forestry research and works with forest managers on state and private lands. The Forest Service oversees nearly 200 million acres of national forest and other lands, 35,372,522 of which are Wilderness.

National Park Service agency shield image; click for more information National Park Service
The National Park Service was established to protect the nation's natural, historical, and cultural resources and to provide places for recreation. The Park Service manages 51 national parks and more than 300 national monuments, historic sites, memorials, seashores, and battlefields. It oversees 43,536,647 acres of Wilderness.


In 1905 there were 83 forest reserves which had increased to 155 National Forests and 20 National Grasslands by 2005. The total number of acres preserved as open space by the Forest Service has increased from 63 million acres in 1905 to 192 million acres in 2005.