Post-conversion	1954-	1974-	1985-
land use	1974 (1)	1983 (2)	1995 (3)
	thousands of acres per year (average)
Agriculture	398.5	156.6	na
Urban use	36.6	14.5	na
Other upland uses	23.4	118.9	na
Total	458	290.0	117.0
	percent of average annual conversion
Agriculture	87	54	na
Urban use	8	5	na
Other upland uses	5	41	na
Total	100	100	100

Sources: ⁽¹⁾ Frayer, W.E., T.J. Monahan, D.C. Bowden and F.A. Graybill, Status and Trends of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats in the Conterminous United States, 1950s to 1970s (U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Fort Collins, CO, 1983).

⁽²⁾ Dahl, T.E. and C.E. Johnson, Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Conterminous United States, 1970s to 1980s (U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, DC, 1991).

⁽³⁾ Dahl, T.E., R.D. Young and M.C. Caldwell, Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Conterminous United States, 1980s to 1990s (U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, DC, Draft).

Notes: Data reflect net wetlands losses (= losses plus gains) by category. Other upland uses include silvicultural activities, residential and recreational development in rural areas, and highway construction and improvements in rural areas. A significant portion of lands classified as “other” in the 1974-1983 study were wetlands that had been drained and cleared of vegetation, but the land had not been put to an identifiable use (as determined by interpretation of aerial photography and groundtruthing).

Last Updated on Wednesday, September 22, 1999