Housing Development and Other Pressures on Private Forest Contributions
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Over half (56 percent) of America's private forests are privately owned and provide a vast array of public goods and services, such as clean water, timber, wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities. These critical benefits are being affected by increased housing density in areas across the country. Private Forests, Public Benefits, a USDA Forest Service publication, estimates that housing density will increase on more than 57 million acres of America's private rural forests from 2000 to 2030. In many areas, the impacts of increased housing density are likely to be exacerbated by additional threats such as wildfire, insect pests and diseases, and air pollution.
Top 15 watersheds in terms of total acreage of private forest projected to experience increased housing density
Study Results:
Private Forests, Public Benefits has identified areas where the following goods and services will be most affected by future forest land development:
- Forest cover: Watersheds in the East rank highest for increased housing density on private forests. Highly ranked watersheds are also located in Washington, Colorado, and California.
Click here for national map - Water quality: Watersheds in the East have the highest potential for future change in water quality as a result of future housing density increases on private forests.
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Click here for a table of the top 15 watersheds - Timber volume: Watersheds throughout the East, and especially in New England, and the southern Appalachians, as well as in Washington, Oregon, and California rank highest with respect to likelihood of change in timber volume due to increased housing density.
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Click here for a table of the top 15 watersheds - At-Risk Species: Watersheds in most of Florida, as well as the southern Appalachians, and parts of Michigan, eastern Texas, western Oregon, and central California are most likely to experience future change in the number of at-risk species due to future development of private forests.
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Click here for a table of the top 15 watersheds - Interior forest: Watersheds where interior forest is most likely to be reduced by increased housing density are found along an axis stretching from Maine to Louisiana, as well as along the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and northern Florida. High-ranking watersheds are also found in coastal Washington, California's Sierra Nevada range, and in the vicinity of Denver, Colorado.
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Click here for a table of the top 15 watersheds - Top 15 watersheds in terms of total acreage of private forest projected to experience increased housing density
Private Forest, Public Benefits also identifies areas where the impacts of future development could be exacerbated by the following threats:
- Insect Pests and Diseases: Watersheds with private forests under greatest pressure from insect pests and diseases as well as housing development are scattered throughout the country. Eastern watersheds are found in New England, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Michigan. In the West, high-ranking watersheds are found in western Montana, Oregon, California, and the southwest.
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Click here for a table of the top 15 watersheds - Wildfire: Many of the western watersheds included in this study are classified as having high wildfire potential. Watersheds with private forests most at-risk from wildfire and housing development combined are scattered across the West and the southeast.
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Click here for a table of the top 15 watersheds - Ozone pollution: Watersheds with forests most exposed to ozone pollution as well as most likely to experience future development are found primarily in the East and California.
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Click here for a table of the top 15 watersheds
Private forests are experiencing increases in housing density in every region of the United States. With the U.S. population projected to increase by at least another 80 million people by 2030, forest resource managers should anticipate and prepare for continued development pressures on the Nation's private forests.
