Evergreen Magazine

Posted: 2010-02-20

This Is Embarrassing III

Posted: 2009-08-10

This is Embarrassing II

Posted: 2009-07-24

View Editor's Column Archive

Guest Columns

More Junk Forest Science from OSU

Posted: 2010-03-09

Nicholas Dennis: Put National Forests To Work For Community

Posted: 2010-02-22

Jim Erickson & Gary Morishima: Indian Forestry - Imagine the Possibilities

Posted: 2010-01-26

View Guest Columns Archive

Forest Facts

Some 1.5 billion trees are planted in the U.S. every year, about 5 trees for every American.

Annually, U.S. forestland owners plant about 6 trees for every tree harvested.

About one-third of America's original forest - some 300 million acres - have been converted to other uses, principally agriculture.

There are 26 million more acres of forestland in the Northeast than there were in 1900.

Today, forests blanket about one-third of the U.S. land base and about half the U.S. East.

U.S. annual growth rates have exceeded harvest rates since the 1940's.

Timber harvesting is forbidden on 50% of all National Forest lands in the U.S.

National Forests account for 20% of the nation's forestlands and 19% of its timberlands.

National Forests hold 46% of the nation's softwood timber inventory but only provide 6% of the annual harvest.

Since 1986, the harvest of timber from America's national forests has declined 70%.

In the West, 34% of all forestland and 54% of all timberlands are in national forests.

National forests in the Pacific Coast and Intermountain West regions hold 68% of the nation's softwood timber inventory, but provide less than 28% of annual harvest.

Forest density has increased 40% in the U.S. over the last 50 years.

Flying Finns

Home » Notes From All Over

The Future of Our National Forests

By: Jay Jensen

Editor's Note:

Jay Jensen is the Obama Administration's new Deputy Undersecretary for Natural Resources and the Environment, U.S. Department of Agriculture. His primary responsibility is oversight the activities of the U.S. Forest Service. On June 3, he testified before the House Agriculture Committee's Subcommmittee on Departmente Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.

Mr. Jensen's visionary testimony, which appears nearby, stands in stark contrast to the hopelessness reflected in lthe House Energy and Commerce Committee's decision not to include federal biomass in the nation's new renewable energy standard. Opposition to including federal biomass in the standard is coming from the Natural Resources Defense Council and International Paper. See Editor's Columns for more information on this sad affair.

Until hired by the Obama Administration, Mr. Jensen served as executive director of the Council of Western State Foresters/Western Forestry Leadership Coalition.

Jensen Testimony

"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."

P.O. Box 1290, Bigfork, MT. 59911 • Tel: (406) 837-0966 • Fax: (406) 258-0815 • Email: