FIA Report on Oklahoma’s Forests

Until 2009, the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis had never surveyed Western Oklahoma. “Western Oklahoma has some forests, but very little timberland,” says SRS forester Kerry Dooley. Land that produces timber – at least 20 cubic feet an acre, each year – is considered timberland. Timberland is plentiful in Eastern Oklahoma, and FIA…  More 

City Trees in Houston

The largest city in the largest continental state in America has an urban forest to match. And now, for the first time, information about Houston’s trees is available online. The My City’s Trees web application is a free tool that makes community tree data easily accessible to the public. The Texas A&M Forest Service has…  More 

Houston’s Urban Forests

Urban forests offer a wide range of environmental services, such as stormwater management, air pollution mitigation, reduced air temperatures (Urban Heat Island mitigation), wildlife habitat, aesthetic appeal and visual barriers. Since 1930, the U.S. Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program has provided information on the amount, status, and character of forest land across…  More 

Sassafras and Laurel Wilt Disease

The scent of a crushed sassafras leaf is unforgettable – sweet, pungent, fragrant. If you have never plucked one of the leaves and rolled it around between your fingers, you should. “Sassafras is susceptible to laurel wilt disease,” says U.S. Forest Service research mathematical statistician KaDonna Randolph. “The disease has not reached the heart of…  More 

Bottomland Hardwoods of the Mid-Atlantic

A new U.S. Forest Service report characterizes the status and trends of bottomland hardwood forests across the mid-Atlantic region of North Carolina and Virginia. These forests are located in floodplains, bogs, swamps, and other lowland areas. SRS scientists Anita Rose and Steve Meadows summarized Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data from 2002 to 2014 for…  More 

State Forest Resource Data Visualized

The U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program, the nation’s forest census, collects and analyzes data on America’s forests. FIA produces yearly reports at the state level on: Status and trends in forest area and location; Species, size, and health of trees; Total tree growth, mortality, and removals by harvest and land-use change;…  More 

Southern Forest Products: An Economic Engine

A storymap developed by USDA Forest Service researchers allows users to interactively chart the ebb and flow of forest products across the southern states. Using Forest Service Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data loaded onto Esri’s ArcGIS Online (AGOL) platform, Southern Forest Products – An Economic Engine, provides a constantly updated guide to southern timber product outputs…  More 

My City’s Trees

The Texas A&M Forest Service has developed a web-based application, My City’s Trees, designed to give the public easy access to information from the urban forest inventories conducted by the U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. The application, hosted at the Texas Forest Info website, currently shows results from FIA’s first urban…  More 

Story Maps Show Forest Resources by State

The U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program, the nation’s forest census, collects and analyzes data on America’s forests. FIA produces yearly reports at the state level on: Status and trends in forest area and location; Species, size, and health of trees; Total tree growth, mortality, and removals by harvest and land-use change; Wood production…  More 

Dry Tropical Forests in the Caribbean and Latin America under Threat

The climate and fertile soils of the dry tropical forests of Latin America and the Caribbean have been important to humans as areas to grow crops since pre-Columbian times. Because of this and more recent use for intensive cultivation and cattle grazing, many of these forests have been cleared, with less than 10 percent of…  More