Growing ecological challenges ranging from wildland fires to climate change have revived interest in moving the Dept. of Agriculture's (USDA) Forest Service into the Dept. of the Interior. The Forest Service manages almost a quarter of the nation's lands but is the only major land mgmt. agency outside Interior. This is a report on the potential effects of moving the Forest Service into Interior and creating a new bureau equal to Interior's other bureaus, such as the Bureau of Land Mgmt. (BLM). This report identifies factors that should be considered if such a move were legislated and mgmt. practices that could facilitate a move. Nazzaro analyzed five historical proposals to reorganize fed. land mgmt. agencies. Illustrations.

The Bureau of Land Mgmt. (BLM) and the Forest Service manage millions of acres of public land. To enhance land mgmt. and fulfill other public objectives, they acquire and dispose of land using exchanges -- trading fed. lands for lands owned by willing private entities, individuals, or state or local gov¿ts. Concerns have been raised about whether the public interest has always been served in these land exchanges. This report: (1) analyzes the number, trends, and characteristics of BLM and Forest Service land exchanges; and (2) determines the effectiveness of agency actions to address previously identified key problems. The auditor reviewed 31 land exchanges representing 85% of the acres that agencies acquired, or plan to acquire in 2008. Illus.