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Land Use Data

The primary source of land use data, particularly forest cover, for this chapter was the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plot-level data assembled for this Assessment (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service 2001). Information contained in the FIA database is derived from a series of permanent plots across the South and is typically reported at the State and county level. A complete discussion of the FIA Eastwide database is provided by Hansen and others (1992).

The most current survey data from each State were aggregated across the South to create a current survey for the South (representing the 1990s). Information on the most recent survey for each State is included in chapter 16. Individual plots were assigned an eight-digit HUC and aggregated at the watershed level. Land uses from the FIA database representing forested land were selected and summarized by individual watershed to determine the percentage of forest in each watershed. That percentage was calculated by dividing the forest area by the total watershed area.