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47 Colum. J. Env't L. 1 (2022)

handle is hein.journals/cjel47 and id is 1 raw text is: Iowa's Lost National Forests Jess Phelps* Iowa is primarily an agricultural landscape. It is perhaps then not a surprise that Iowa lacks a nationalforest. This initial reaction, however, misses the fact that Iowa very nearly had several national forests cover- ing thousands of acres in the state. This Article explores this history, examines why these national forests did not materialize, and provides context for the use of other potential tools for securing contemporary conservation objectives in the state. To this end, Section II of this Article explores the state's landscape his- tory. Section III provides a history of the U.S. Forest Service and the cre- ation of the eastern National Forests. Section IV specifically explores Iowa's efforts towards establishing national forests. Section V briefly touches upon the state's subsequent conservation efforts, while Section VI explores why more recent efforts to facilitate large-scale federal pur- chases have not materialized. Last, Section VII considers how current conservation tools may replicate at least some of the benefits that ex- tensive nationalforests would have provided. Ultimately, Iowa's lost na- tional forests can help us to understand the process of National Forest formation, evolving conservation priorities, and the lasting benefits of landscape-level conservation efforts and how such projects can be pur- sued today. I. In tro d u ctio n ..................................................................................................... . 3 II. A History of Iowa Land Use: The Shift to a Farmed Landscape...... 7 A. Iow a's Historic Landscape ....................................................................... 7 B. The Impact of Settlement and Cultivation ........................................ 8 1. Clearing Iow a's Forests .................................................................... 8 2. The New Agricultural Landscape.....................................................10 C. Iowa's Forests Today......................................................................................13 III. A Brief History of the Forest Service and Forest Acquisition.....15 A. Early Origins/Legal Authorities ................................................................16 B. Creation of the USDA Forest Service .......................................................17 C. The Weeks Act and the Eastern National Forests..............................18 D.The Great Depression and the Acquisition of Submarginal L a n d s .................................................................................................................2 1 IV. Iowa's Lost National Forests........................................................................24 A. Defining the Land Use Problem .................................................................24 1

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