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<br />000289 <br /> <br />Some Trends and Assumptions <br /> <br />Demands on the National Forests have increased rapidly during the last decade. There is no <br />exact measure of the needs and pressures for the future, but the trends to date do provide <br />clues and allow us to make certain assumptions. These projected national demands are taken <br />from Forest Service Current Information Report No. 13, The Environmental Program for <br />the Future: <br /> <br />Projected National Demands: <br /> <br />Recreation use of public land is increasing about 40 percent per decade. Auto travel for <br />recreation was 23 percent of all National Forest visitor days in 1972, but could be affected <br />by energy shortages in the future. <br /> <br />Camping is expected to rise 19 percent per decade on National Forest lands. <br /> <br />Fishing is increasing 15-20 percent per decade. <br /> <br />Big game hunting is expected to increase rapidly-as much as 20 percent per decade. Small <br />game hunting will increase moderately. <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />Wilderness travel has increased 80 percent in the last decade. <br /> <br />Off-road vehicle use is I ikely to nearly double by the year 2000, strongly influenced by <br />availability and price of fuel. <br /> <br />Skiing is likely to continue its 15-20 percent annual increase. <br /> <br />Timber consumption is expected to increase 18-32 percent per decade until the year 2000, <br />assuming no great increases in prices. <br /> <br />Water withdrawals from surface and underground sources are increasing about 23 percent <br />per decade. <br /> <br />Range use of the forests shows an average increase of 12 percent per decade with the <br />greatest increase 120 percent) anticipated in the next 10 years. <br /> <br />Minerals and energy are increasingly important considerations since the National Forests <br />overlie most of the Nations nonferrous metal reserves. There will be increasingly greater <br />interest in developing the minerals in the western National Forests. Demand for coal is <br />expected to rise 30 percent per decade until the year 2000. The western states will see a <br />six-fold increase in coal production-a large but unknown amount underlies the National <br />Forests. There is also a substantial amount of phosphate, oil, and gas underlying National <br />Forests. <br />