Statewide forestry trends for Georgia, 1997 forest inventory analysis (FIA) highlights

STTAATTEEWWIIDDEEFOORREESSTTRRYY TRREENNDDSSFFOORRGEEOORRGGIIAA -1997 FOORREESSTTINNVVEENNTTOORRYY ANNAALLYYSSIISS (FIA)
The 1997 Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA) of Statewide Georgia, completed by the USDA Forest Service, in cooperation with the Georgia Forestry Commission, is the seventh such survey conducted and the first since 1989. Some 6,307 permanent four-point cluster plots were sampled in timberland to determine statistical changes and trends in forestry for the state.
FORESTLAND o Total forestland increased by more than 1% statewide from 24.137 million acres to 24.413 million acres. o Productive reserved forestland increased by 22% statewide from 487,400 acres to 594,900 acres. o Forests cover 66% of the land area statewide in Georgia.
TIMBERLAND o Timberland increased by less than 1% statewide from 23.631 million to 23.796 million acres. o Some 1.1 million acres were added to timberland, while 929,000 acres were removed from timberland, for a net gain of 165,000 acres.
OWNERSHIP o Nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) ownership of timberland in 1997 increased by 6% to 17.154 million acres from 16.116

million acres in 1989 and accounts for 72% of all timberland. o Public ownership of timberland (local, state, and federal governments) increased by 6% to 1.751 million acres and accounts for 7% of all timberland. o Forest industry controlled timberland decreased by 17% to 4.890 million acres and accounts for 21% of all timberland.
FOREST TYPE o Pine forest types occupy 10.640 million acres (45% of timberland), a decrease of 2+% from the 1989 survey of 10.916 million acres. o Oak-pine forest types occupy 3.567 million acres (15% of timberland), an increase of 17% from the 1989 survey of 3.048 million acres. o Hardwood forest types occupy 9.199 million acres (39% of timberland), an increase of 2+% from the 1989 survey of 8.988 million acres. o Non-stocked (<10% stocking) forest types occupy 390,400 acres (1% of timberland), down from 662,957 acres in 1989. o Planted pine stands account for 57% (6.070 million acres) of all pure pine forest types. o Planted pine stands in the seedling/sapling stand size account for 2.746 million acres or 45% of all planted pine stands.
STAND TREATMENT OR DISTURBANCE
o Average annual reforestation and afforestation acres exceed final harvest acres by 25%.

o Final harvests average 445,600 acres annually with 65% (287,800 acres) of final harvests occurring in pine forest types, 10% (46,400 acres) in oak-pine types, and 25% (111,400 acres) in hardwood types. o Some 68% of all final harvests in all forest types occurred on NIPF lands, 30% on forest industry owned or leased lands, and 2% on public lands. o Some type of harvesting occurs on 630,400 acres annually, compared to 791,478 annual acres in 1989. Average annual final harvest acres are down from 582,008 acres to 445,600 acres. o Average artificial and natural reforestation & afforestation account for 559,000 acres annually compared to an annual average of 616,398 acres in 1989. o Average annual reforestation accounts for 453,400 acres (81%) while average annual afforestation accounts for 105,600 acres (19%). o Average annual tree planting and artificial seeding results in 308,300 acres compared to 342,031 acres in 1989. o Roughly 61% of all annual forest regeneration (natural & artificial) is pine.
SOFTWOOD & HARDWOOD VOLUMES
o Softwood growing stock volume has decreased 3% from 15.713 billion cubic feet (BCF) in 1989 to 15.224 BCF in 1997. o Hardwood growing stock volume has increased by over 7% from 15.365 BCF in 1989 to 16.480 BCF in 1997.
SOFTWOOD GROWTH & REMOVALS

o Net annual softwood growing stock growth averages 1,030.2 million cubic feet (MCF) in 1997, up from 817.9 MCF in 1989, an increase of 26%. o About 59% of the net annual softwood growth occurred on NIPF lands. o Net annual softwood growing stock removals averaged 1,085.8 MCF in 1997, up from 959.6 MCF in 1989, an increase of 13%. o About 64% of all annual softwood removals occurred on NIPF lands. o About 30% of annual softwood removals occurred in pine plantations.
HARDWOOD GROWTH & REMOVALS
o Net annual hardwood growing stock growth averaged 522.6 MCF in 1997, up from 456.8 MCF in 1989 an increase of 14%. o Almost 80% of annual hardwood growth occurred on NIPF lands. o Net annual hardwood growing stock removals averaged 390.9 MCF in 1997, up from 342.6 MCF in 1989, an increase of 14%. o About 77% of annual hardwood removals occurred on NIPF lands.
DEFINITIONS 1. Cubic foot - A volume measure of wood 1 foot wide by 1 foot high by 1 foot deep.
2. Forestland - Land at least 10% stocked by forest trees, or formerly stocked, at least an acre in size and at least 120 feet wide.
3. Growing Stock Trees - Living trees of commercial species classified as seedlings, saplings, poletimber, and sawtimber.

4. Nonforest land - Land that has never supported forests and land formerly forested where timber production is precluded by development for other uses. 5. Poletimber Trees - Softwoods 5.0 to 8.9 inches d.b.h. and hardwoods 5.0 to 10.9 inches d.b.h. Sometimes referred to as pulpwood. 6. Sapling Trees - Live trees 1.0 o 5.0 inches d.b.h. 7. Sawtimber Trees - Softwoods 9.0 inches d.b.h. and larger and hardwoods 11.0 inches d.b.h. and larger. 8. Seedling Trees - Trees less than 1.0 inch d.b.h. and greater than 1 foot in height for hardwoods, greater than 6 inches in height for softwoods, and greater than 0.5 inch in diameter for longleaf pine. 9. Timberland - Forest land capable of producing 20 cubic feet of industrial wood per acre per year and commercially available.
J. Frederick Allen Director

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