Southern Forest Resource Assessment led by the USDA Forest Service's Southern Region and Southern Research Station in collaboration with the USEPA, US Fish & Wildlife, TVA, and state forestry agencies of the Southern United States

Broad Category: Forest Extent, Conditions and Health

Question Manager:  Andy Hartsell and Roger Connor

Question HLTH-1: What are the history, status, and projected future of southern forests?

1. Discuss the history of forest conditions back as far as can be reliably documented.
2. Be explicit about definitions, for example the definition of a forest, and report data by forest species group wherever possible.
3. Disclose data compilation procedures, assumptions made, and the limits of the data. For example, define the age of the FIA data for every state; recognize that tree volume estimates do not include small trees.
4. Evaluate changes in patterns of ownership and their potential implications for forest management.
5. Evaluate land use changes involving forests, both permanent and transitory.
6. Examine the dynamics of ownership. How have ownership patterns changed?
7. Recognize the great variety of ownership types in the South and examine the diversity of forest conditions that result.
8. Include consideration of new forest investment groups as an ownership group.
9. Evaluate the rates of change of the above characteristics and between forest types and ownerships-e.g., between hardwood types and pine plantations.
10. Discuss the implications of potential fragmentation on forest structural characteristics.
11. Describe the history of forest structure as far back as can be documented.
12. Link projected future characteristics with anticipated demands for southern timber for various product types--i.e., softwood and hardwood fiber and sawtimber, if possible.

Overview:

Methods of analysis: 

The question will be answered in four distinct sections which are based on time periods.  The first time period pertains from the earliest time period that can be reasonably described (pre-European settlement) to the pre-WWII period.  The second time from 1940-1970.  The third period describes 1970-present.  The last section projects future values.  The first section will be answered by compiling previously written accounts of forested condition within this time frame.  The second is answered by summarizing old FIA reports.  The third time span will be handled by analyzing FIA databases.  The last will be handled by Bob Abt and his models.

Data Sources:

FIA data bases and publications and the RPA

State historical societies

Publications such as the South’s Fourth Forest, 100 years of Federal Forestry, and other historical descriptions.

TVA

Other assessment projects such as Southern Appalachian and Ozark/Highland.

Southern schools of forestry, State agencies

Timber Resource reviews

Products:

Descriptive analysis, graphic displays, and tabular output.

Collaborators and Sources:

Bob Abt, Noel Cost, Richard Harper (S.C. Forestry Commission), Jim Gober,

Links to other questions:  

Historical aspects of this section relate to almost all the others. 

Forest Fragmentation links to Wildlife Q5.

Projected future characteristics and anticipated demand for timber products link to sections III and IV.

Unresolved Issues: 

Scale (Eco-sections)

Fragmentation

Projection

Temporal scale of history – how far back and how detailed do we describe the historical aspects of southern forests.

Cited and Other Relevant Literature:

  modified: 2-MAR-2000