Editor's Column

Guest Columns

Forest Facts

By: Jim Petersen

1. The area covered by forests in Minnesota:

a. has declined about 30% since 1950.
b. has declined about 15% since 1950.
c. is about the same as in 1950.
d. has increased 10% since 1950.

2. The primary cause of forest loss in Minnesota over the past 50 years has been:

a. highway construction
b. logging
c. farming
d. urban expansion
e. forest fires

3. Comparing annual net forest growth to annual harvest in Minnesota, which one of the following statements is true?

a. forest harvest exceeds net growth by about 11 percent.
b. forest harvest exceeds net growth by about 4 percent
c. forest harvest roughly equals net growth
d. net forest growth exceeds harvest by about 15 percent
e. net forest growth exceeds harvest by about 40 percent.

4. The number of acres in Minnesota that are occupied by the aspen forest type:

a. has been declined over the past three decades.
b. is about the same as in 1953.
c. has been increasing steadily over the past 50 years.
d. has increased sharply since the early 1990s.
e. is now higher than at any point in the State’s history.

5. The number of large trees (over 19 inches in diameter) in Minnesota forests:

a. has declined substantially over the past several decades.
b. is about the same as several decades ago.
c. has increased substantially over the past several decades.

6. True or False - Commercial harvesting of timber is allowed in the BWCA wilderness area? (T) (F)

7. The value of forest products manufactured in Minnesota in 1998 was approximately:

a. $100 million
b. $400 million
c. $900 million
d. $4 billion
e. $8 billion

8. True or False - Approximately one-half of the value added in forest products manufacturing in Minnesota is attributable to the pulp and paper industry? (T) (F)

9. True or False - Minnesota is a net importer of wood and wood products? (T) (F)

10. True or False - The United States is a net importer of wood and wood products? (T) (F)

ANSWERS:

1. The correct answer is (b). Forests covered about 19.3 million acres in Minnesota in 1950, compared to 16.7 million acres today, a decline of about 15%.

2. Both (a) and (d) are correct. Urban expansion and highway construction account for virtually all of the loss of forests in Minnesota over the past 50 years.

3. The correct answer is (e). Forests in Minnesota are growing much more rapidly than they are being harvested. Net forest growth currently exceeds harvest by an estimated 41%, meaning that standing timber volume within the state is increasing each year.

4. The correct answer is (b). The area occupied by the aspen type within the State of Minnesota is currently about 5.1 million acres, about the same as in 1953. This compares to 5.4 million acres of aspen type in 1962 and 5.3 million acres in 1977. Because the acreage of aspen is about the same as in 1953, and the total forest area smaller, the proportion of Minnesota’s forests that are comprised of the aspen type has increased slightly - from 26.4% in 1953 to 30.4% today.

5. The correct answer to this question is (c). In 1962, some 5.5 million trees in Minnesota forests were 19 inches or greater in diameter. By 1990 this number had increased to 12.9 million; it is estimated that this number has continued to increase during the decade of the ‘90s.

6. This statement is (false). No commercial timber harvesting is allowed within the BWCA wilderness area.

7. The correct answer is (e). The value of forest products manufactured in Minnesota in 1998 was $8 billion, a number that reflects the value of basic products such as paper, oriented strandboard, lumber, hardboard and insulation board. Also, secondary products including cabinets, furniture, store fixtures, molding, millwork, boxes and other products.

8. This statement is (true). Of the $8 billion total value of forest products manufactured in 1998, pulp and paper accounted for approximately $4.2 billion. Some $3.2 billion was accounted for by lumber and wood products, with another $700 million attributable to furniture (including cabinets) and fixtures.

9. Although precise figures are not available, this statement appears to be (true). The 1998 annual harvest from Minnesota’s forests was 4.1 million cords. This translates to about 68 cubic feet of wood per Minnesota resident. In comparison, average consumption of wood per capita nationally is about 75 cubic feet. Assuming this same rate of wood consumption among Minnesota residents (which is probably conservative) reveals that Minnesota is a net importer of approximately 9.3% of its annual wood requirements.

10. This statement is (true). The United States in 1998 imported about 11% of its overall needs for wood on a net basis. Expressed in terms of roundwood equivalents, the harvest in 1998 was 18.1 billion cubic feet, while consumption (total domestic harvest, plus imports of wood raw material and products, minus exports of logs wood chips and other wood raw materials and products) approximated 20.3 billion cubic feet. When waste paper exports are included in the total, the net import figure drops to 0.7%.

Sources of information include the Forestry Division, Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources; the Minnesota Dept. of Trade and Economic Devel; the U.S. ForestService, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin and the U.S. Bureau of the Census, Washington, D.C.

"We must always consider the environment and people together, as though they are one, because the
human need to use natural resources is fundamental to our continued presence on earth."