USDA Forest Service - Forest Inventory & Analysis

The estimates presented are based on data retrieved from the FIA database (09/08/2021) and may not reflect the most recent data available from the FIA

program. Note – this publication does not include estimates of uncertainty. The most current data and sampling error for the estimates above can be found

by visiting https://www.fia.fs.fed.us/.

*Average annual estimates are based on data collected across 5-10 years and may not be indicative of the nominal year presented in the title by itself.

State and

Local

6.12%

Federal

11.11%

Private

82.77%

North Carolina, 2020

2015 2020

18.72

18.83

Area of forest land

(million acres)

14.07

Number of live trees 14.80

on forest land

(billion trees)

45.89

Volume of live trees 42.12

on forest land

(billion cubic feet)

Annual Net Change

Annual Removals

Annual Mortality

Annual Gross Growth

All live (million cubic feet)

56,142 acres of nonforest

revert back to forest annually*

67,129 acres of forest land

convert annually* to nonforest

391,103 acres of forest land

are treated by cutting

(harvest, thinning, etc.) annually*

92,754 acres of forest land

are disturbed annually* by weather events

Forests of

This resource update is a brief look at some of the basic

metrics that describe the status of and changes to forest

resources in North Carolina. This information is based on

field data collected using the USDA Forest Service Forest

Inventory and Analysis (FIA) annualized sample design, and

it is updated yearly.

North Carolina has 5,723 sample plots across the State, of

which 3,650 are currently forested. Each year, about 10-20

percent of these plots are visited and measured by field

crews. Data used in this update were accessed from the FIA

database on 09/08/2021.

54% forested*

North Carolina has an estimated 18,724,887 acres of forest land. * Percent forest is forest area/total area. Percent forest with water removed from total area is 60%.

2,0

8

8

717

9

7

7

3

9

3

Forest land ownership

109,283 acres of forest land

are disturbed annually* by fire
Archived Versions

This report and archived past versions can be found on the USDA Forest Service publication database, Treesearch using keywords "Forest

Inventory" and "North Carolina" here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/.

How to cite this publication

USDA Forest Service. 2021. Forests of North Carolina, 2020. Resource Update FS-315. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest

Service. 2p. https://doi.org/10.2737/FS-RU-315 .

Additional Resources

The application that produced this resource update was developed using data from the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis database

(FIADB): https://apps.fs.usda.gov/fia/datamart/datamart_excel.html .

Tables for North Carolina, 2020 can be found here: https://doi.org/10.2737/FS-RU-315-Tables

The FIA one-click application can be found here: https://doi.org/10.2737/FIA-One-Click-State-Report-v1.2

Bechtold, W.A.; Patterson, P.L., eds. 2005. The enhanced Forest Inventory and Analysis program—national sampling design and estimation procedures.

Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–80. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 85 p.

https://doi.org/10.2737/SRS-GTR-80 .

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

National Woodland Owner Survey

The National Woodland Owner Survey (NWOS) collects and reports on multiple attributes of forest land ownership. Details of the NWOS program can be

found here: https://www.fia.fs.fed.us/nwos/.

The most recent NWOS Factsheet for North Carolina can be found here: https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/52411/.

NOTE: Some of the above links will not be active until the resource update has been approved for official publication.

North Carolina, 2020

Forests of