Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.
HORT/RGSC 302
J.G. Mexal
Importance of forests
• National forests serve as watersheds
providing water for 60 million people
• Roadkills total 1 million/day
• 2000 invasive species in US infesting 3.5
million ac and costing $120 billion
• Recreation:
– 36 million off-roaders
– 71 million birders spending $32 billion
Forestry Facts
• Pre-consumer recycled paper– trimmings
and scraps before sales
• Post-consumer recycled paper – recovered
after use (newspapers, cardboard, etc)
• Mechanical Pulping: up to 95% efficiency –
used in newsprint
• Chemical Pulping: dissolves
lignin,bleached, stronger, lower yield
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.--Outline
•
•
•
•
Forest Ownership
Forest Laws
Forest Types
Forest Harvesting
Forestry & Society
U.S. Land Use and Population /
Pop.Act.Int’l 1999
Millions (ha)
300
250
200
150
100
Population
Forestland
Cropland
50
18
50
18
60
18
70
18
80
18
90
19
00
19
10
19
20
19
30
19
40
19
50
19
60
19
70
19
80
19
90
20
00
0
Year
Deforestation/Reforestation
Forest Land Cover in New Hampshire/Kingsley 1976
Hectares (KK)
2.2
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
1600
1700
1800
Years
1900
2000
Forestry & Society
Growing Forests/ Mass. 1920-1985/
U.Mass. CES 1993
90
80
Seedling/Sapling
Poletimber
Sawtimber
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1920
1962
1985
Forestry & Society
Growing Forests/ Mass. 1971-1985/
U.Mass. CES 1993
Changes in developed area from 1982-1997
7
kk ac
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Sou
the
a
So.
st
Cen
Inte
No
No
.C
rth
rmt
e
e
ntr
ast
n
tral
al
Pac
SW
Pac
NW
Gre
at P
lai n
s
Who owns the Nation’s forests?
Value = million acres
4 million landowners
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.--Ownership
Landowners (1000)
3000
NE
SE
We
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
<10
<50
<100
<500
<1000
<5000
>5000
Landholdings (ac)
Butler & Leatherberry JFor 102:4:2004
Forestry & Society
A brief history of time
• USDA formed in 1862 to improve food
production
• CSRS formed in 1887 by Hatch Act
• USFS formed in 1905 (moved from Dept of
Interior to Dept of Agriculture)
• CES formed in 1914 by Smith-Lever Act
• SCS (NRCS) formed in 1935
• ARS formed in 1953
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.--Public Lands
• US Forest Service (1905)
– 192 million acres in 43 states (25% of public lands)
– 156 national forests in 43 states
– 85% in 13 western states
• Bureau of Land Management (1812)
– 341 million acres (~1/8 of US total land base)
– Administers mineral leases on 732 million acres of federal land
• National Park Service (1872)
– 79.5 million acres (49 states, except Delaware)(11%)
• Bureau of Indian Affairs
– 55 million acres (7%)
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.-- US Forest Service
1905 Mission
• “to protect the
reserves against fire,
to assist the people in
their use, and to see
that they are
properly used.”
2005 Mission
• “to manage national
forests for multiple
uses and benefits and
for the sustained
yield of renewable
resources such as
water, forage,
wildlife, wood and
recreation.”
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.-- US Forest Service
1905
• Chief Gifford Pinchot
• 83 forest reserves +
no grasslands
• 63 million acres
• $400,000 annual
budget
• 270 employees
2005
• Chief Dale Bosworth
• 155 forests + 20
grasslands
• 192 million acres
– (8% of US)
• $4.1 billion annual
budget
• 37,648 employees
• Only 2% of wood
production comes from
federal lands
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.--Laws
• Forest Reserves Act (1891): set aside public lands in DoI
• Organic Act (1897): manage public lands for water & timber
• Transfer Act (1905):
– transferred public lands from Dept. of Interior to USDA
– formed USFS
• 1908 Law allocated 25% of from FS timber revenues to
counties (Payment in Lieu of Taxes [PILT])
• 1937 Law allocated 50% of BLM timber revenues to
counties
• Weeks Act (1911)
– work w/ states in fire protection
– purchase headwaters--established eastern Nat’l For.
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.--Laws
• Clarke-McNary Act (1924):
– assist states with silviculture (fire, reforestation, mgt)
– liberalized land acquisition programs
• McSweeney-McNary Act (1928)
– authorized comprehensive research programs in
forestry & range management
• Knutson-Vandenberg Act (1930)
– created special fund for reforestation
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.--Laws
• L (1924) & U (1939) Regulations
– Allowed primitive areas (L) and wilderness, wild, &
recreational areas to be designated.
• Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act (1960)
• Forest & Rangeland Renewable Resources
Planning Act (RPA) (1974)
• National Forest Management Act (NFMA) (1976)
– incorporate other uses of forest in planning
Major Forest Types
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.--East
• Southeastern Pine-Hardwood Forest
–
–
–
–
–
13 southern states
Precipitation: 100-125 cm/yr (40-50”)
Mean annual Temperature: 10oC- 24oC (50-75oF)
Soils: deep (>150 cm), old, & weathered
Major species:
Pinus taeda (loblolly)
Pinus echinata (shortleaf) Pinus palustris (longleaf)
Pinus elliotii (slash)
P. virginiana (Virginia)
Liquidambar (sweetgum)
Quercus sp. (oaks)
Forestry in Mississippi/1999 data
18 million acres = 62% of state
• $14 billion = total
industry output
– Paper = 3.8 billion
– Furniture = 4.1 billion
– Timber harvesting =
1.14 billion
– Lumber & wood
products = 5.9 billion
• 141,848 jobs = total
industry
– Paper = 30,688
– Furniture = 50,079
– Timber harvesting =
10,796
– Lumber & wood
products = 55,618
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.--Southeast
www.nationalatlas.gov
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.-- East
• Central Hardwood Forest
–
–
–
–
–
8 central states
Precipitation: 75-114 cm/yr (35-45”)
Mean annual Temperature: 8oC- 13oC (46-55oF)
Soils: deep (100-130 cm)
Major species:
Pinus rigida(pitch)
Quercus sp. (oaks)
Liriodendron tulipifera (yellow poplar)
Juniperus virginiana (eastern red cedar)
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.-- East
• Appalachian Hardwood-Conifer Forest
–
–
–
–
Elevation range: 200-2050 m
Precipitation: 90-140 cm/yr (35-55”)
Mean annual Temperature: 10oC- 15oC (50-60oF)
Major species:
Pinus strobus (white)
Pinus virginiana (Virginia)
Quercus sp. (oaks)
Abies fraseri (Fraser fir)
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.-- East
• Northern Hardwood-Conifer Forest
–
–
–
–
–
New England & Great Lakes region
Precipitation: 50-75 cm/yr (20-30”)
Mean annual Temperature: 0oC- 5oC (32-40oF)
Soils: shallow with water table near surface
Major species:
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Pinus strobus (white)
Pinus resinosa (red)
Quercus sp. (oaks)
Abies balsamea (balsam)
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.-- West
• Northern Coastal Conifer Forest
–
–
–
–
–
–
AK, WA, OR, B.C.
Precipitation: 150-300 cm/yr (60-118”)[f(elev.)]
Mean annual Temperature: 5oC- 12oC (41-54oF)
Soils:glacial deposits
Elevation: 0-3000 m
Major species:
Pseudotsuga menzeisii (Douglas-fir)
– Tsuga heterophylla (western hemlock)
– Picea stichensis (Sitka spruce)
Alnus rubra (alder)
Forestry in Oregon/1998 data
16 million acres (25% of state) = #1 in lumber &
plywood
• $14 billion = total
industry output
– Paper = $1.2 billion
– Timber harvesting =
$4.2 billion
– Lumber & wood
products = $3.0 billion
• 74,817 jobs = total
industry
– Secondary products =
23,259
– Forestry & Timber
harvesting = 20,220
– Primary products =
31,338
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.-- West/ Coombes 1992
Pseudotsuga menziesii
Douglas-fir
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.-- West
• Southern Coastal Conifer Forest
–
–
–
–
–
CA, OR
Precipitation: 40-200 cm/yr (16-80”)[f(elev.)]
Mean annual Temperature: 5oC- 12oC (41-54oF)
Elevation: 0-2800 m
Major species:
Sequoia sempervirens (redwood)
Abies grandis (grand)
Pinus jeffreyi (Jeffrey)
Pinus lambertiana (sugar) Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (Port Orford cedar)
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.-- West/ Audubon 1/01
Sugar pine - Pinus lambertiana
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.-- West
Sequoia sempervirens
California redwood
Sequoiadendron giganteum
Giant sequoia
Species vs Elevation in Sierra Nevadas/
Forest Hydrology, Chang 2006
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.-- West/
Science 204:1380-1386:1979
Species
Age
Diameter Height
(cm)
(m)
B.A.
Biomass Stem
2
(m /ha) (t/ha)
Volume
(m3/ha)
Coast redwood
1250
250
>75
338
3,500
10,817
Douglas-fir
>750
200
>70
127
1,600
3,600
Noble fir
>400
125
>45
147
1,562
4,106
Western hemlock >400
100
>50
98
871
1,987
Ponderosa pine
100
>30
--
Western redcedar >1000 200
>60
>600
--
--
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.--Questions
• What are some major species of eastern forests?
Describe them.
• What are some major species of western forests?
Describe them..What are some major species of
southwestern forests? Describe them. Compare the
productivity of temperate forests with tropical and
boreal forests.
• Describe the ownership pattern of forestland in the US.
What were the major laws that determined US forest
land policy? What did they do for US forest policy?
Forestry & Society
Forests of the U.S.--Questions
• Describe the SE pine-hardwood forest; location,
diversity, species, climate, soils.
• Describe the NE hardwood-conifer forest; location,
diversity, species, climate, soils.
• Describe the western coastal conifer forest; location,
diversity, species, climate, soils.
• Describe the Rocky Mountain conifer forest; location,
diversity, species, climate, soils.