16A.21
S,N - Clearcutting in southern forests: the status and trends
Jacek P. Siry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC; and F. W. Cubbage
Clearcutting use in the South is estimated from FIA data, and impacts of increasing removals and intensifying management on clearcutting extent evaluated. Opinions of landowners and the public about clearcutting are reviewed, and the policy implications assessed.
The South provides today about two thirds of annual timber removals in the United States. The South is also projected to be the source of nearly all increases in timber removals in the United States for decades to come. Increasing removals and rising investment in timber growing will involve more extensive use of various management practices. Few timberland management practices are as controversial as clearcutting. Clearcutting removes most of trees at one time, and the sight of cleared land oftentimes invokes perceptions of widespread environmental damage, fueling the longstanding clearcutting debate. This project assesses clearcutting use and trends in use across 12 southern states. Opinions of landowners and the public about clearcutting are reviewed, and the policy implications assessed. Two most recent FIA surveys are used to estimate the annual extent of clearcut area by state, forest management type, and owner group. This information is compared with timber removal data and projections to examine the potential impact of increasing removals and intensifying management on the extent of clearcutting in the South and the ongoing clearcutting debate.
Session 16A, Other
Wednesday, 9 October 2002, 1:30 PM-1:30 AM
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