Curtis H. Flather
Published: 1999
Total Pages: 88
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This report documents trends in wildlife resources for the nation as required by the Renewable Resources Planning Act (RPA) of 1974. The report focuses on recent historical trends in wildlife as one indicator of ecosystem health across the United States and updates wildlife trends presented in previous RPA Assessments. The report also shows short- and long-term projections of some wildlife for documenting expected trajectories of resource change. National trends in four attributes of wildlife resources, including habitat, population, harvest, and users, set the context within which region-specific trends are presented. The data for this analysis came largely from information that currently exists within Forest Service and cooperating state and federal agency inventories. The report concludes with a synthesis of these trends as they relate to the concept of resource health. We highlight those trends that appear to indicate favorable, uncertain, or degraded resource conditions in an attempt to identify resource situations that warrant policy and management attention.