Forest Service Report Demonstrates Economic Impact of National Lands

First posted on 07-09-2010

A US Forest Service report released Wednesday quantifies the economic impact of America’s national forests and grasslands. According to the National Visitor Use Monitoring Report, our forests and grasslands helped sustain 223,000 jobs in rural areas and helped contribute $14.5 billion to the U.S. economy.

Those figures were determined by looking at the dollars spent on recreational activities in communities within 50 miles of national lands. Visitors purchased goods and services like food, lodging, gear, groceries and supplies for hiking, biking, rafting, camping and other outdoor recreation. This on an estimated 173.5 million visits to National Forest System lands last year, along with an additional 300 million occasions when people simply drove to forests to view wildlife and take in the scenery.

Other key figures from the survey:

- Over 57 percent of visits to National Forest System lands are for physical activities like hiking, skiing or biking.
- While 98 percent of lands in the system can be accessed without paying a fee, 83 percent of visitors said they were content with their perceived value in exchange for fees that were required.
- The overall satisfaction rate was 94 percent.

The full report is available at: http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/nvum.

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