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Forest Area and Conditions

In this section we examine trends in forest area and conditions as measured by surveys conducted by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program of the USDA Forest Service. In the past these have been periodic surveys, conducted every 5 to 10 years. Accordingly, totals for the South are based on data from State surveys taken in different years, and current conditions are estimated from the most recent surveys. While some of the data are somewhat dated, these are the best and only comparable data available for measuring forest conditions at this level of detail and scale. New survey procedures are being implemented to provide annual updates of forest conditions, but such data were not available for this report. We also examine forecasts for some measures of forest condition.