Study Shows Alabama Gained 3.8 Million Acres of Forests Since 1930s
Asheville, NC
"Alabama’s total area of forest land has steadily increased since the mid-1930s,” said Jim Reaves, SRS director. “The 2005 estimate of 22.7 million acres is the second highest estimate of forest land ever recorded statewide.”
This FIA report is the eighth forest survey of Alabama. Field work for the 2005 survey began in January 2001 and was completed in December 2005. Seven previous surveys, completed in 1936, 1953, 1963, 1972, 1982, 1990 and 2000, provide data that researchers use to measure changes and trends for the past eight decades.
The survey reveals that the volume of live trees in Alabama forests for both hardwood and softwood species increased with each inventory from 1990 through 2005. At the time of the 2005 inventory, the total volume of live trees was up 6.9 percent for softwoods and .7 percent for hardwoods since the 2000 inventory.
In 2005, more than one-quarter of Alabama’s timberland area was in plantation stands (stands that have been artificially regenerated by planting or direct seeding), occupying 6.3 million acres of timberland statewide. Additionally, plantations account for 67 percent of the annual growth and 55 percent of the annual removals of softwood species. Wood harvested from plantations is an important raw material for Alabama forest industries.
The report shows the conversion of agricultural land and natural forests to planted pine stands. In 2005, plantations contained 40 percent of the state’s softwood tree volume. The area of natural loblolly pine stands decreased by 46 percent from 1972, and the area of natural oak-pine stands has dropped 39 percent. Over the same period, the area of planted loblolly pine forests has increased fivefold.
“Oak-hickory stands have shown a significant increase over the last 30 years,” said Reaves. “There were 5.7 million acres of oak-hickory forests across the state in 1972 and, there are 7.3 million acres today.”
The report revealed that ozone damage was present at 2.3 percent of the ozone bio-monitoring sites. Ozone is a naturally occurring compound that, when present in the upper atmosphere, helps protect the Earth’s surface from ultraviolet rays. However, ozone is considered a pollutant in the lower atmosphere. Of the states monitored during the inventory, Alabama ranked second lowest in terms of percentage of plots with evidence of ozone damage. Alabama’s average of 2.3 percent was far below the South’s score of 20.6 percent.
The study notes that private landowners play an important role in Alabama’s economy because they own 95 percent of the state’s forest land. Family forest owners possess the largest percentage of forest land with 67 percent. Businesses own an additional 28 percent and various federal, state and local government agencies own the remaining 5 percent.
Alabama’s forest products industry is a vital component of the state’s economy, according to the report. Forest Service data estimates the total economic impact of Alabama’s forests in 2001 was nearly $18.6 billion. The $18.6 billion includes all activities associated with the forest products industry, i.e. recreation and specialty forest products, such as edible mushrooms, medicinal plants and specialty woods. These products contribute a much smaller percentage to the overall economy, but they are still very important and provide millions of dollars to local rural economies each year.
The report also revealed that there were about 145 primary wood-processing plants in Alabama in 2005. These plants employed more than 33,000 individuals and had an annual payroll of nearly $1.33 billion. Between 2000 and 2005, the state’s output of timber products averaged 1.32 billion cubic feet per year. Roundwood products, i.e., logs, poles and other round sections cut from trees for industrial or consumer use accounted for 86 percent of this total and mill byproducts the rest. The total value of shipments in Alabama’s wood products and paper manufacturing sectors was $11.51 billion (U.S. Department of Commerce 2005).
The complete report on Alabama’s Forests, 2005, can be found on the SRS website at: www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/rb/rb_srs146.pdf.
SRS administers the FIA program, in partnership with state forestry agencies. The FIA program supplies the nation’s land managers and private forest landowners with the data needed to make sound investment decisions in forest management activities. FIA data enables states, researchers, foresters, landowners and natural resource communities to understand the magnitude of changes in forest conditions and trends, and provides vital information to the long-term health of forests.
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