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 Year Millions (ha)

Forestry & Society Growing Forests/ Mass / U.Mass. CES 1993

Forestry & Society Growing Forests/ Mass / U.Mass. CES 1993

Changes in developed area from

Who owns the Nation’s forests? Value = million acres 4 million landowners

Forestry & Society Forests of the U.S.--Ownership Landholdings (ac) Landowners (1000) 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

Relationship between latitude and tree species

Forestry & Society Forests of the U.S.--East Southeastern Pine-Hardwood Forest –13 southern states –Precipitation: cm/yr (40-50”) –Mean annual Temperature: 10 o C- 24 o C (50-75 o F) –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

Forestry & Society Forests of the U.S.-- East Central Hardwood Forest –8 central states –Precipitation: cm/yr (35-45”) –Mean annual Temperature: 8 o C- 13 o C (46-55 o F) –Soils: deep ( 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: m –Precipitation: cm/yr (35-55”) –Mean annual Temperature: 10 o C- 15 o C (50-60 o F) –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: cm/yr (20-30”) –Mean annual Temperature: 0 o C- 5 o C (32-40 o F) –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: cm/yr (60-118”)[f(elev.)] –Mean annual Temperature: 5 o C- 12 o C (41-54 o F) –Soils:glacial deposits –Elevation: 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: cm/yr (16-80”)[f(elev.)] –Mean annual Temperature: 5 o C- 12 o C (41-54 o F) –Elevation: 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

Forestry & Society Forests of the U.S.-- West

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

Forestry & Society Forests of the U.S.-- West/ Science 204: :1979

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.