Wilderness Benchmark 1988: Proceedings of the National Wilderness Colloquium

Abstract

Following nearly 10 years of congressional debate, the National Wilderness Preservation System was created in 1964. Since then the System has grown in size and geographic distribution and now totals nearly 89 million acres in 44 different States. The System has been shaped by existing patterns of Federal and ownership and is concentrated in Alaska and the 11 Western States. Considerably more acreage may be eligible for wilderness status; but, as the System matures, attention will begin to shift away from designation of new wilderness to the management of existing wilderness. This paper briefly describes the past and present size and distribution of the System , as well as some of the issues associated with its future composition and management.

Citation

Freilich, Helen R. 1989. Wilderness Benchmark 1988: Proceedings of the National Wilderness Colloquium. Gen. Tech. Rep. SE-51. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station. 228 p.