national grassland

Any of 19 separate grassland areas in the USA, administered by the Forest Service under the same mandate as the national forests. The large majority are in the western Great Plains; they tend to be much less used for recreation than the forests.

As with the national forests, federal law requires that the grasslands should be open to multiple uses and managed so as to permit a sustained yield. In the case of the grasslands, watershed conservation and grazing are key elements of the mandate.