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COMMON GROUND VOL . 13 NO . 1 JANUARY-MARCH 2O02 Southern About 12 million acres of the South' s on management options necessary to keep forests could be lost to urbanization between forests healthy, concludes the study . It was Forests 1992 and 2020, with the largest losses in the compiled by more than 25 scientists from the Piedmont and coastal plains, according to Forest Service, Environmental Protection Studthe Southern Forest Resources Assessment Agency, Fish and Wildlife Service, Tennessee y (free, 828 / 2574200, www . srs . fs . fed . us / sus - Valley Authority, state forestry and fish and tain), a two-year study released in Novem- wildlife agencies and several universities . ber by the Forest Service . The effects of Any effective strategy to ensure the long- urban and suburban areas extend far beyond term health of the 214 million acres of south- city limits, resulting in wildlife habitat frag- ern forest will require the cooperation of 5 mentation, a scarcity of forest benefits, such million private landowners who oversee as recreation opportunities, and limitations nearly 907o of the land . Some findings . • The current forest area in the South (214 million • Planted pine increased to 32 million acres in acres ) is 607o of the total in 1630 and 91 'a of that 1999, up from 2 million in 1953 . Pine plantation recorded in 1907 . Eleven percent ic ^,•rued by gov- acreage is forecast to jump 677o' to 54 million aces ernment, with the remainder in private hands . The by 2040, mostly through conversion of cropland . forest industry owns 22 %, of the private land, fol- • Ozone pollution is forecast to jump between lowed by farmers (21 % ) and corporations ( 12% )' Forecasts indicate 20 % to 50% from 1990 and 2025 . Growth reduc- with the remaining 45 % owned by others . tions in southern pines are expected as a result. that 31 million • Forecasts indicate that 31 million acres of forest • In 1997, timber harvests produced 700, 000 jobs acres of forest will will be developed and 25 million acres n farmland in the wood products sector and more than $ 118 will become forest land between 1992 and 2040 . billion in total industry output . Total economic be developed and • Between 1953 and 1997, the South' s timber pro- impacts of these activities were about 2 . 2 million 25 million acres duction more than doubled, its share of U . S . pro- jobs and $251 billion of total industry output . duction increased from 41176 to 587o , and its share of • In 1997, outdoor recreation-based tourism con- Of farmland will world production increased from 6 . 3 % to 15 . 8 % . tributed between 0 . 64 and 2 . 88 % of southern become forest land The region now produces more timber than any jobs . Public lands represented 56o' of the contri- between 1992 country in the world, except the U .S . bution. Recreation pressures on public land are • Timber market models forecast that timber pro- substantial . Much private land is unavailable for and 2040 . duction in the United States will increase by about public recreation. The trend is toward less access . one- third between 1995 and 2040 . Nearly all of the • Of the 1 , 208 vertebrate species known to exist growth will come from the South where produc- in the South, 132 are considered to be of conser- 7 4 % for hardwoods .is forecast to increase 56 % for softwoods and vation concern, and 28 are classified as critically 7% imperiled . The South, the center of amphibian • Although softwood inventories will increase biodiversity in the nation, has 54 amphibians steadily until at least 2040, hardwood removal is classified as species of concern, and 19 as criti- forecast to exceed growth by 2025 . cally imperiled . ZST9 - 9LZL � ON ' HOM099111H i9I9 X09 Od Id3a a3003 93a I UTAN3 AID3DNVI0 IIONdIS 0100 HW allisHnOHH NOIiDHHHOD ssaxaaV 60ZZZ V1 ` u0} 0utJJV ' D' NQLONIHSV%% OZ >r� altnS a ' ` . 1S luaX ON 0091 E66E 'ON .LI NNHd (IIVd 3OVISOd ' S ' il 09NO 11,40dd - NON