Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Silviculture of forests in the Eastern United States

Informally Refereed

Abstract

The forests of the Eastern United States are diverse and provide many products and amenities for people living in the area and beyond. Eastern temperate forests play an important role in determining water yield and quality. They have the potential to sequester large quantities of carbon and influence air quality, and thus climate. Our standard of living is very much linked to the health and productivity of forests. Forests cover approximately 41 percent of the Eastern United States, on average, but vary considerably at the State level, ranging from 6 percent in Iowa to 89 percent in Maine (Smith and others 2004).

Parent Publication

Citation

Dey, Daniel C.; Brissette, John C.; Schweitzer, Callie J.; Guldin, James M. 2012. Silviculture of forests in the eastern United States. In: Lafayette, Russell; Brooks, Maureen T.; Potyondy, John P.; Audin, Lisa; Krieger, Suzanne L.; Trettin, Carl C., eds. 2012. Cumulative watershed effects of fuel management in the eastern United States. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-161. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station: 7-40.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/41072