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

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Forests of the U.S.--Outline

• Forest Ownership

• Forest Laws

• Forest Types

• Forest Harvesting

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U.S. Land Use and Population / Pop.Act.Int’l 1999

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Year

Millions (ha)

Deforestation/Reforestation

Forest Land Cover in New Hampshire/Kingsley 1976

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1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

2.2

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Hectares (KK)

1600 1700 1800 1900 2000

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Growing Forests/ Mass. 1920-1985/ U.Mass. CES 1993

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Seedling/SaplingPoletimberSawtimber

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Growing Forests/ Mass. 1971-1985/ U.Mass. CES 1993

Changes in developed area from 1982-1997

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kk ac

Who owns the Nation’s forests?Value = million acres

4 million landowners

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Forests of the U.S.--Ownership

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<10 <50 <100 <500 <1000 <5000 >5000

NESEWe

Landholdings (ac)

Landowners (1000)

Butler & Leatherberry JFor 102:4:2004

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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

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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%)

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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.”

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Forests of the U.S.-- US Forest Service1905

• 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

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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.

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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

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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

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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 data18 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

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Forests of the U.S.--Southeast

www.nationalatlas.gov

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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 data16 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

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Forests of the U.S.-- West/ Coombes 1992

Pseudotsuga menziesiiDouglas-fir

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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)

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Forests of the U.S.-- West/ Audubon 1/01

Sugar pine - Pinus lambertiana

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Forests of the U.S.-- WestSequoia sempervirensCalifornia redwood Sequoiadendron giganteum

Giant sequoia

Species vs Elevation in Sierra Nevadas/ Forest Hydrology, Chang 2006

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Forests of the U.S.-- West/Science 204:1380-1386:1979

Species Age Diameter (cm)

Height(m)

B.A.(m2/ha)

Biomass(t/ha)

StemVolume(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 >600 100 >30 -- -- --

Western redcedar >1000 200 >60

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.