As of 2000, county and municipal governments in 10 of the 13 Southern States had enacted a total of 346 forest-related ordinances. This is a marked increase from 7 States and 141 ordinances in 1992.
Most of the ordinances were enacted in States experiencing rapid urban expansion. Georgia and Virginia together account for over one-half of the total; Louisiana and Florida together account for an additional one-fourth.
Regionwide, public property protection ordinances account for nearly half of all ordinances. Next most common are special feature protection ordinances, followed by tree protection ordinances, timber harvesting ordinances, and general environmental protection ordinances.
