Status and Conditions of Land and Water Resources in Alabama, 1982: Alabama Statewide Land and Water Resources Cooperative Study

Excerpts from the report: Alabama's land and water area encompasses 33,091,000 acres, including 904,000 acres of federal land, 29,697,000 acres of rural nonfederal land, 1,545,000 acres committed to urban and built-up uses and rural transportation, and 945,000 acres of water bodies and streams. Cropland acreage declined from 5,900,000 acres in 1957 to 4,500,000 acres in 1982 while pastureland was increasing from 3,100,000 to 3,800,000 acres over the same period. Nonfederal forest land acreage, totaling 20,633,000 acres in 1982, has been relatively constant during the past 25 years. A vital part of the analysis of Alabama's soil and water resource conditions is the assessment of the quantity, quality, and availability of those resources. Utilizing inventories and surveys from various sources, this document summarizes data on land use, water areas, flood prone areas, prime farmland, soil erosion, irrigation, conservation needs for various land uses, potential for additional cropland, land ownership, wildlife and fishery resources, aquaculture, and wetlands. Water quality is addressed as it relates to agricultural sources of pollution. Limited comparisons of recent data to those obtained in previous inventories are presented for selected land uses and treatment levels where trends appear valid. The analysis of the resource information and alternatives will provide a basis for the development of a long-range program that will guide the conservation and optimum utilization of the state's agricultural and forest resources.