A substantial portion of the Division's work includes litigation under a plethora of statutes related to the management of public lands and associated natural and cultural resources. All varieties of public lands are affected by the Division's litigation docket, ranging from entire ecosystems, such as the Nation's most significant sub-tropical wetlands (the Everglades) and the Nation's largest rain forest (the Tongass), to individual rangelands or wildlife refuges.

Examples also include original actions before the Supreme Court to address interstate boundary and water allocation issues, suits over management decisions affecting economic, recreational and religious uses of the National Parks and National Forests, and actions to recover royalties and revenues from exploitation of natural resources.

The Division represents all the land management agencies of the United States including, for instance, the Forest Service, the Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Defense.

The Natural Resources Section is primarily responsible for these cases.