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Provided by the Hardwood Forest Foundation
Americas Forests are Plentiful
Sometimes news reports make it seem like threre is scarcely
a tree left in North America. What are the facts?
- There are 737 million acres of forests in the U.S.—70% of the forests that
were here in 1600.
- Current timberlands contain more volume than in 1952. Growing stock volume
has increased by one-third over that time, with hardwood volume growing the
most.
- One-third of U.S. forests are reserved from harvest by law or are unsuitable
for commercial timber production.
- Since 1900, forestland area has remained stable.
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There is enough
forestland in the United States to cover every square inch of every
state east of the Great Plains
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Hardwoods are the broad-leafed trees that typically lose
their leaves each autumn, like oak, maple, cherry and ash. How are the forests
doing today?
- Hardwoods grow 55% more volume each year than is harvested, lost to fire,
insects and disease combined.
- There is twice as much standing hardwood sawtimber today as in 1952.
- Hardwoods are most often used to make fine furniture, kitchen cabinets,
flooring, paneling and high-quality paper. They are also used to make guitars,
pianos, baseball bats, hockey sticks, bowling pins and hundreds of other useful
items.
Americas Forests are Renewable
When trees are harvested, how do we make sure the forests
come back?
- Trees are regenerated naturally through seeding or root sprouting, or they
are replanted by people.
- Hardwoods are usually allowed to come back naturally. Harvesting large,
mature trees in a hardwood forest lets enough sunlight reach the forest floor
to stimulate the growth of new seedlings.
- Most softwoods do not sprout from the root so they are replanted after
harvest.
- Annually, over 1.5 billion trees are planted in the U.S.—more than 5 trees
for every man, woman and child in America. That averages 4.1 million seedlings
each day.
- More than 80% of new seedlings are planted by forest products companies
and private timberland owners. The rest are planted by federal and state agencies
and individuals.
How do foresters and wood products companies manage forests
sustainably?
- Foresters are trained to determine when and how trees should be harvested,
ensuring that forests are healthy and productive.
- The forest products industry is committed to sustainable forest management
and follows the guidelines and standards of the American Forest & Paper Association’s
Sustainable Forestry InitiativeSM Program and the National Hardwood Lumber
Association’s Sustainable Forest Policy.
- Professional loggers practice voluntary Best Management Practices to minimize
the environmental impacts of harvesting operations, in addition to meeting
state and federal regulations.
- Different harvesting methods are employed to reach specific goals. Harvest
method is primarily driven by biological constraints of desired species. Clearcut,
seed tree and shelterwood harvests remove many of the overstory trees to allow
sunlight to reach the forest floor, promoting new growth. Selection and thinning
promote growth of remaining trees and smaller pockets of regeneration.
Americas Forests are Diverse
What is biodiversity? Do we need more wilderness preserves
to protect it?
- Biological diversity refers to the variety and variability among living
organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur.
- Already, one-third of U.S. forestland—247 million acres—is permanently
set aside in national parks, wilderness and other areas never to be harvested.
- According to government and university studies, forest management actually
improves biodiversity in most cases.
- Conserving and enhancing biological diversity are integral parts of natural
resource management, as are timber harvesting and food production.
- Only active management—not preservation—can ensure health & sustainability
of future forests.
- Wilderness areas are desirable for aesthetic, social and ecological reasons,
but setting aside more wilderness reduces the amount of land available for
multiple use and lessens the public's access to recreation, wood and other
resources.
What are the endangered species, and how do they affect
forest management?
- The 1973 Endangered Species Act (ESA) was enacted to protect and recover
endangered and threatened species.
- Under the ESA, species are listed as “endangered” when they are considered
to be in danger of becoming extinct. Species listed as “threatened” are likely
to become “endangered.”
- There are 1,181 mammals, reptiles, fish, birds, plants, spiders and insects
listed as endangered or threatened—only 11 species have been “recovered” under
the provisions of the ESA.
- Since social and economic factors are not considered when listing or protecting
endangered species, jobs and community tax dollars are lost through harvesting
reductions forced by ESA restrictions.
- Restricting timber harvesting hurts more than just people— especially since
many wildlife species depend on wellmanaged forests.
Americas Forests are Useful
I like to use environmentally friendly products. Is wood
a good choice?
- Wood is the environmental choice.
- Our forests and our trees are renewable natural resources. Wood products
come from a resource that grows, matures and is replanted and renewed for
future generations.
- Annually, each person in the United States uses paper, lumber and other
wood products equivalent to one tree, 100 feet tall and 18 inches in diameter.
- Wood is recyclable, biodegradable and durable—sometimes lasting for centuries.
When it is no longer needed, it can be returned to the earth.
- Making products from aluminum, steel, glass, plastic, cement or brick require
as much as 126 times more energy than making them from wood, and these non-renewable
resources have higher emissions during processing.
- Inch to inch, wood is 16 times more efficient as an insulator than concrete,
415 times more efficient than steel, and 2000 time more efficient than aluminum.
Americas Forests are Valuable
What does the forest products industry give the economy?
- In the U.S., 43,700 companies employ 1.75 million people in wood products,
paper, furniture and related product manufacturing.
- These companies produce over $300 billion in forest products yearly.
- Annual payroll for U.S. forest products companies exceeds $51 billion,
ranking among the top ten employers in 40 states.
- One third of the nation’s annual timber harvest comes from 70 million acres
of forest industry land, which is only 14% of the commercial timberland in
the US.
America's Forests Are Our Nation's Greatest National Resource!
Sources: USDA Forest Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, American Forest
and Paper Association
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Hardwood Forest Foundation
6830 Raleigh LaGrange
Memphis, TN 38134
Phone: (901)377-5956
National Hardwood Lumber Association
P.O. Box 34518
Memphis, TN 38184-0518
Phone: (901)377-1818
Fax: (901)382-6419
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