Land use and soil loss: A 1982 update

Excerpt

THE 1982 National Resources Inventory (NRI) is the most comprehensive survey of our nation's nonfederal land resources ever conducted by the Soil Conservation Service (SCS). Nearly one million sample points were inventoried during the three years of data collection and tabulation (J). In April 1984 SCS released initial estimates on land quality, potential cropland, conservation treatment needs, pastureland and rangeland condition, land use, and soil erosion.

Highlighted here are the 1982 NRI data for two important natural resource issues—land use and soil erosion. All estimates are preliminary, but few changes are expected. Further information on other resource categories will be released later this year. A basic statistics document will then be published.

Land use trends

The 1982 NRI obtained basic land use statistics much like previous SCS inventories. Cropland in 1982 constituted 421 million acres or 30 percent of all nonfederal rural land. Pastureland accounted for 9 percent (133 million acres), rangeland 29 percent (406 million acres), and forestland 28 percent (394 million acres) of all rural land. The minor land cover/use category totaled 60 million acres.

Comparison of 1982 and 1977 NRI estimates is difficult because of three procedural changes and technological improvements in the …