The U.S. Forest Service in December posted an anticipated report on the state of Pennsylvania’s forests from 2000 to 2004. The Pennsylvania Forest Inventory Report shows the Commonwealth’s forest land-base is stable, but the data also outlines some cause for concern.

“The lack of understory plants and tree regeneration across Pennsylvania is one of the most disturbing findings in the report,” State Forester Dan Devlin said. “We can’t take our forests for granted, and have to continually seek to understand the complex interactions so we can maintain the healthy forest ecosystem that is so important to our quality of life and our economy.”

Forests account for 16.6 million acres in Pennsylvania, or 58 percent of the land area. Fifty-four percent of the forest land is owned by families and individuals. Forest land losses to residential and industrial development have been offset by agricultural land being converted to forests, but this trend varies across the state. Counties that show a net loss of forest land are located near urban centers or major connecting highways.

Highlights from the report are:

· The forest is maturing, and the types of species are shifting. Hemlock, sugar maple and oaks are decreasing, the increases in red maple are slowing, and black birch continues to increase. The number of smaller trees is decreasing, while the number of larger trees in increasing.

· Timber inventory is the highest recorded since the beginning of the Forest Inventory. Expanding harvest levels are most evident on private lands.

· Advance regeneration is occurring on only half of the forest land where it should and only one-third has adequate regeneration for commercially desirable timber species.

· Several exotic diseases - including gypsy moth, hemlock woolly adelgid and beech bark disease - are threatening the health of the forest.

· Exotic invasive plants pose a threat to native plant diversity and forest health.

· Stressors such as drought, acidic deposition ad ground-level ozone pollution are adversely impacting the forests and should continue to be monitored for better understanding.

“It’s very important to continually assess the status of all of our forests - both publicly and privately-owned,” Devlin said. “This report is an important tool in helping to better understand the character of our forests, and for informing our management decisions.”

Gaps in statistically sound information on net growth, harvest levels and mortality will be filled as the annual inventory progresses through the second 5-year cycle. Additional research on wood availability, ecosystem services, and resource projection models also will aid in understanding resource dynamics.

Annual updates from the inventory will allow the Bureau of Forestry to report major changes in the data in a timely manner.

A copy of the report is available online. (Reprinted from DCNR’s Resources newsletter.)

1/18/2008