Georgia's forests, 2004

Abstract

Between 1997 and 2004, the Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis Program conducted the eighth inventory of Georgia forests. Forest land area remained stable at 24.8 million acres, and covered about two-thirds of the land area in Georgia. About 24.2 million acres of forest land was considered timberland and 92 percent of that was privately owned. Family forest ownership accounted for 14.3 million acres of the timberland and represented 168,000 landowners with 10 or more acres of timberland. Forest industry ownership, with 4.3 million acres, continued to decline and corporate ownership increased to 3.8 million acres. Loblolly pine remained the predominant softwood forest type and occupied 6.8 million acres. Restoration efforts increased longleaf pine area by 23 percent since 1997. Planted pine accounted for 6.5 million acres and natural pine occupied 4.3 million acres. Hardwood forest types slightly overshadowed softwood with 55 percent of the timberland area. Softwood volume for all live trees reached an alltime high of 17.7 billion cubic feet. Hardwood volume for live trees also reached an alltime high of 18.9 billion cubic feet. Volume for all live trees in pine plantations rose sharply and marked a 45-percent increase to 6.7 billion cubic feet since 1997. Net annual growth for all live softwoods increased 36 percent and averaged 1.4 billion cubic feet per year since 1997. During this same period, hardwood net annual growth increased 14 percent and averaged 0.6 billion cubic feet per year. Net annual growth outpaced removals by 21 percent for softwoods and almost 38 percent for hardwoods.