Commodity & Commercial Uses
Film Shoot in the forest.
This functional area includes all activities related to the non-recreational use of forest resources and lands. Examples of such uses include mining, telecommunications, power transmission, petroleum pipelines, astronomical observation, and the extraction of various forest products such as stones, yucca stalks, and firewood. In addition, the ANF issues permits for intermittent uses such as motion picture filming and still photography.
While many national forests are the sites of large-scale timber and grazing operations, commercial activity in the Angeles National Forest is focused on recreation and industrial land use. There are no timber or grazing operations in the ANF.
In 2002, the ANF spent $424,000 to permit and monitor the activities described in this functional area. An additional $43,000 to support 0.6 FTEs is required to fully fund this program.
| Total Required | Available | Shortfall | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTE | Funds | FTE | Funds | FTE | Funds |
| 6.34 | $467,424 | 5.74 | $424,479 | 0.6 | $42,945 |
Non-Recreation Special Uses
Telecommunications towers on an ANF mountaintop are operated under special use permits.
Non-Recreation Special Uses receives the majority of funding in this functional area. Given the forest's proximity to Los Angeles County's 10 million people, its land is in high demand for electronics sites, transmission lines, pipelines, roads, reservoirs, apiaries and film shoots. In FY 02, the ANF administered approximately 1,000 non-recreation special use permits which generated $1.9 million for the U.S. treasury.
Prior to FY 02, underfunding of this program caused a large special use permit review backlog to develop. In FY 02 the forest received an additional $581,000 to address this backlog. If this funding is maintained and vacant positions are filled, the forest will be able to address the backlog by FY 06, and maintain the program to standard, with one exception; an additional 0.3 FTEs will be needed to evaluate design proposals and assist with data management.
Minerals
The forest's minerals program strives to manage mineral exploration and production in a manner consistent with resource protection, and to provide for the reclamation of lands where mining has occurred. In addition, forest mineral managers seek to ensure that all mineral operations are operated in accordance with existing regulations.
The primary shortfall in Minerals is inventory administration, planning, reviews of sales, and oversight of large operations. Most mineral operations in the forest are managed by the Los Angeles River Ranger District. One-Examples of forest products sought within the Angeles third of an FTE remains unfunded in this area for project National Forest include plants and fuel wood. oversight and permit compliance.
Forest Products
While large-scale timber operations in the forest were halted in the early 1900's, the ANF accommodates low-level consumption of various forest products by the public. Examples of forest products sought within the Angeles National Forest include plants and fuel wood. Occasionally, forest products are generated as by-products of other forest activities such as vegetation thinning and fire protection. Currently there are no unfunded needs in this program area.
