The USDA Forest Service released a report this week detailing the economic impact of recreation in our National Forests and Grasslands. It turns out that we Americans spend a rather large amount of money on our way to the forest. A total of $13 billion is spent directly in the communities surrounding the forests, which generates a further $14.5 billion in economic activity. Here are the highlights of the report:
- Recreation activities on National Forests and Grasslands sustain 223,000 jobs in the rural communities within 50 miles of the National Forests and Grasslands, where visitors purchase goods and services for their recreational activity. These include services of outfitters and guides for whitewater rafting and big game hunting, alpine and Nordic ski areas, and lodging as well as supplies from local businesses such as groceries, fishing tackle, and bicycle rentals.
- Visitors spend $13 billion directly in those communities within 50 miles of the National Forests and Grasslands. Those dollars spent in turn within the local communities generate $14.5 billion in economic activity.
- The national estimate for recreation visits to National Forest System lands in 2009 is 173.5 million. Additionally, there were more than 300 million occasions of people driving to simply view the scenery and wildlife on National Forests.
- Visitor satisfaction is very high, with an overall satisfaction rate of 94 percent.
- More than 57 percent of visits to National Forest System lands are done primarily for physical activity, such as hiking, biking, and skiing.
- Approximately 83 percent of visitors are content with the value received for any fees paid.
- 98 percent of the lands within National Forests and Grasslands can be accessed without paying a fee.
- Recreation visitation on national forests includes diverse clientele.
The full report is available here. A summary of the report is also available here.
One interesting thing I did notice in the summary document is that visits to the forests are mostly male. Of all the visits to National Forests, 65% are done by males. For the wilderness, it’s not much better at 61.1% male. Additionally, 95.8% of all National Forest visitors are white.
