Lightening the Tread of Population on the Land: American Examples

• Published in: Population and development review 1996-09, Vol.22 (3), p.531-545
• Main Authors: Waggoner, Paul E., Ausubel, Jesse H., Wernick, Iddo K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural land; Data and Perspectives; Deforestation; Environmental aspects; Environmental policy; Environmental sociology; Farmlands; Forest habitats; Forests; Future; Gross national product; History; Land cover; Land development; Land Management; Land use; Land utilization; Management; Meats; Physical environment; Population; Population pressure; Timber; Trends; U.S.A; United States; Urbanization; USA; Wise use movement
• ISSN: 0098-7921; 1728-4457
• DOI: 10.2307/2137720

People transform land by building, logging, and farming. The less land humans use, the more remains in its natural state. The authors search the past century for principles and trends influencing land use in the United States and contemplate the future when Americans might number an additional 100 million. Examples from American cities, counties, and states suggest that land covered by the built environment increases less than in proportion to population. For example, despite the rising use of paper relative to gross national product, the declining use of lumber combined with improved forestry kept the area of forest land fairly steady as population rose. Similarly, rising yields and changing tastes have countered the impact of rising population and wealth on cropland area. All told, a lightening tread of Americans on the land in the next century could spare for nature over 90 million hectares, an area equal to 100 times the size of Yellowstone National Park.