Recreation visitor-days in forests, because recreation is a major use of forest lands in the United States. (Fig. 1)

Access to forests for recreation, as a measure of how available and how close recreational lands are to the people wishing to use them. (Fig. 2)

Effects of recreation on forests. Recreation, like other forest uses, may affect forest condition (e.g., disturb wildlife, damage plants). (Fig. 3)

Total forest cover in water supply regions, as a measure of the service that forests provide in ensuring clean drinking water. The quality of water produced in a watershed is related to the amount of forest cover. (Fig. 4)

Streamside forest cover in water supply regions, also as a measure of the service of forests in ensuring clean drinking water. The quality of water produced in a watershed is related to the degree to which stream banks are forested. (Fig. 5)

Public and private forest lands are used by large numbers of people for recreation, but no accurate estimates of use are available.

The amount of public forest land per person is much greater in the West than in the East. Alaska has vastly more public forest land per person than do the lower 48 states.

Recreation In Forests (Visitor Days) (1)	Acres Of Public Forest Land Per 1,000 People* (2) Technical Note
The Forest Service estimates that National Forest lands (which include forested and nonforested areas) alone are used for hundreds of millions of visitor-days each year. Forests owned by states, counties, and municipalities are also heavily used.	SOURCE: USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory & Monitoring

Effects Of Recreation On Forests (3)	Forest Cover In Public Water Supply Watersheds (4) Technical Note
There is concern that heavy recreational use may disrupt bird and wildlife nesting, breeding, and other activities; damage plants; or change the quality of recreational experiences.
	This map is from a case study; the shaded portions are areas that provide surface water for public water supplies in Massachusetts. Darker areas have a higher percentage of forest cover. More than 70 percent of the area that provides Massachusetts with surface water for drinking is forested. Water quality is generally better when a greater percentage of a watershed is forested (See the case study at Forests: Nutrients, Fig. 3).

Streamside Forest Cover In Public Water Supply Watersheds (5)