June 9, 2003

Urban Sprawl Threatens Southern Forests
by James L. Cummins

A long-awaited study conducted by the USDA Forest Service ranks population growth and urban sprawl as the greatest threats facing Southern forests. The Southern Forest Resource Assessment, a two-year study covering 13 states, shows that between 1982 and 1997 there was a 45 percent increase in development in the South that resulted in the loss of about 12 million acres of forest land.

The Clinton administration commissioned the report in response to concern over the proliferation of chip mills in the South but soon expanded its scope to cover the sustainability of southern forests. Compiled by more than 25 scientists from the USDA Forest Service, Environmental Protection Agency, Tennessee Valley Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and several universities, the report provides a basis for informed public policy and decision-making.

"For the first time we have a study that presents an accurate, objective picture of the status of southern forests," said report coauthor John Greis of the Forest Service. "This is a science-based assessment and we've attempted to employ the best data available."

According to the report, urban sprawl is the most significant force affecting forests, particularly those owned by private landowners. Between 1992-2020, about 6 percent of the South's forests (about 12 million acres) could be lost to urban uses and an additional 19 million acres are expected to be lost by 2040.

According to the 1,200-page study, nearly 40 percent - 85.6 million acres - of the South's forests are in the hands of about five million nonindustrial private landowners. Those landowners - and their access to forest management assistance - are vital to the future of southern forests, says the report.

"We studied the pressures on Southern forests and forecast what we expect to occur in the future," said David Wear of the Forest Service. "Continued sustainability of Southern forest resources will largely rest with the decisions of private landowners."

The report also sounds a warning for forest managers. "An important and pervasive direct result of urbanization of southern forests will be increasing limitations on forest management options, such as prescribed burning, that are necessary to maintain productive and healthy forests," says the report.

The study shows that a decline in "natural" forest trees is taking place, while pine plantations are increasing. They project that pine populations in the South are going to increase by 67 percent between 1995-2040, which translated to acres means from 32 million to 54 million acres. All the natural forest types, such as oak and longleaf pine, are projected to decline in acreage.

James L. Cummins is Executive Director of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Stoneville, Mississippi. Known as "Wildlife Mississippi," the Foundation is a non-profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources throughout Mississippi