This resource update provides an overview of forest 

resources in Nebraska based on inventories conducted by 

the U.S. Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis 

(FIA) program of the Northern Research Station. For 

annual inventory years 2001-2013, the sample length was 

equal to 5 years. Beginning in 2014, the cycle length was 

changed to 7 years. For the 2015 inventory, estimates for 

current variables such as area, volume, and biomass are 

based on 8,243 field plot samples collected from 2010-

2015. Change variables, such as net growth, removals, and 

mortality, are based on 8,231 samples collected in 2004-

2010 and resampled in 2010-2015. Estimates from earlier 

annual and periodic inventories are shown for comparison. 

See Bechtold and Patterson (2005) and O’Connell et al. 

(2013) for definitions and technical details.

Overview

Nebraska is home to more than 1.5 million acres of forest 

land (Table 1). Timberland accounts for about 92 percent of 

all forest land, while the remaining 8 percent of forest land 

is reserved or unproductive. The area of forest land, number 

of trees, biomass and net volume of live trees increased 

since 2010; however, net growth has decreased as a result 

of increased mortality. The recent increase in mortality is 

mainly attributed to severe weather events, such as flooding 

and drought, as well as disease and fire. Disease primarily 

affected American elm and other elm species while fire was 

the leading cause of ponderosa pine and bur oak mortality. 

RESOURCE UPDATE FS-XXX

United States Department of Agriculture

RESOURCE UPDATE FS-75

Forests of Nebraska, 2015 

Forest Service | March 2016

1

2010

Sampling 

error 2015

Sampling 

error

Change 

since 2010

Forest land estimate (percent) estimate (percent) (percent) 

Area (thousand acres) 1,521 4.3 1,532 4.0 0.8

Number of live trees ≥1 in diameter (million trees) 394 6.7 403 6.7 2.3

Net volume of live trees ≥5 in diameter (million ft3) 2,021 7.1 2,125 6.6 5.2

Live-tree aboveground biomass (thousand oven-dry tons) 44,603 6.4 47,196 5.9 5.8

Net growth of live trees ≥5 in (thousand ft3/yr) 57,421 14.8 28,715 30.9 -50.0

Annual harvest removals of live trees ≥5 in (thousand ft3/yr) 17,698 43.3 15,244 48.6 -13.9

Annual other removals of live trees ≥5 in (thousand ft3/yr) 2,213 51.5 1,996 64.8 -9.8

Annual mortality of live trees ≥5 in (thousand ft3/yr) 26,127 15.8 47,642 15.5 82.3

Timberland

Area (thousand acres) 1,400 4.5 1,403 4.3 0.2

Number of live trees ≥1 in diameter (million trees) 362 7.0 369 7.2 2.0

Net volume of live trees ≥5 in diameter (million ft3) 1,907 7.4 2,002 7.0 5.0

Net volume of growing-stock trees ≥5 in diameter (million ft3) 1,111 10.6 926 11.8 -16.6

Live-tree aboveground biomass (thousand oven-dry tons) 41,837 6.7 44,228 6.3 5.7

Net growth of growing-stock trees (thousand ft3/yr) 19,146 26.2 2,287 317.5 -88.1

Annual harvest removals of growing-stock trees (thousand ft3/yr) 11,999 57.8 10,717 65.6 -10.7

Annual other removals of growing-stock trees (thousand ft3/yr) 2,459 48.2 219 93.7 -91.1

Annual mortality of growing-stock trees (thousand ft3/yr) 14,618 23.0 26,364 24.2 80.4

Table 1.—Nebraska forest statistics, 2010 and 2015. Estimates for growing-stock trees are impacted by changes in 

tree class (e.g., form) and, therefore, have comparatively higher sampling errors than estimates for all live trees. 

Sampling errors and error bars shown in this report represent 68 percent confidence intervals.
After increasing steadily since the 1980s, the area of forest land in Nebraska has remained stable since

2009 (Fig. 1). Most forest land area is associated with riparian systems. Hardwoods are more common in the 

eastern half of the State while ponderosa pine forests are dominant in the west. Overall, hardwood forest types 

occupy 60 percent of all forest land while softwoods comprise 32 percent; the remaining 8 percent is 

nonstocked. Eighty-nine percent, or nearly 1.4 million acres, of forest land is privately owned. Private forest 

lands are dominated by hardwoods (61 percent) while publicly owned forest land is more evenly distributed 

amongst hardwoods (50 percent) and softwoods (41 percent). 

Sixty-one percent of forest land is occupied by large-diameter trees while most of the remaining forest land is 

comprised of medium- and small-diameter trees, 19 and 12 percent, respectively. Ponderosa pine is the most 

prevalent forest type in Nebraska (Fig. 2) and surpassed the eastern redcedar forest type as the dominant forest 

type for the first time since 2009. Land use change data indicates that some areas dominated by eastern 

redcedar were cleared for nonforest land uses, such as pasture land. The area of forest land classified as eastern 

redcedar/hardwood is also showing a downward trend: the 2013 estimate was nearly 113,000 acres while the 

2015 estimate is about 105,000 acres.

Forest Area

2 

RESOURCE UPDATE FS-75

500

1,000

1,500

1955 1983 1994 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Area (1,000 acres) 

Year

Timberland

Forest Land

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

Ponderosa pine

Eastern redcedar

Sugarberry / hackberry / elm / green ash

Bur oak

Cottonwood

Area (1,000 acres)

Forest Type

Small diameter

Medium diameter

Large diameter

Figure 1.—Area of timberland and forest land by year, Nebraska.

Figure 2.—Forest land by stand-size class for the top five forest types by acreage, Nebraska, 2015. 
Nebraska’s forests contain approximately 403 million live trees according to the 2015 inventory, or an average 

of 263 trees per acre of forest land, which is a decrease of about 4 trees per acre compared to the most recent 

estimate from the 2014 inventory. Two species, eastern redcedar and ponderosa pine, comprise over half (52 

percent) of the total of live-tree resource in Nebraska. Eastern redcedar, alone, makes up nearly 39 percent of all 

trees; however, the total number of eastern redcedar trees decreased by approximately 10 million compared to 

the estimate from the 2014 inventory.

The top five species (Table 2) in terms of volume are cottonwood, bur oak, ponderosa pine, eastern redcedar, and 

green ash; they make up 73 percent of net volume of live trees (≥5-inches d.b.h) on forest land. Cottonwood 

remains at the top for volume and biomass, comprising 28 percent of total net volume and nearly one-fourth (23 

percent) of aboveground biomass, which is more than the amount of biomass as ponderosa pine and eastern 

redcedar, the most numerous trees, combined. 

Eastern redcedar has the highest net growth rate but the rates of mortality and removals have increased since 

2014. Ponderosa pine continues to have negative net growth and has the highest rate of mortality, followed 

closely by cottonwood. Cottonwood had the highest rate of removals followed by ponderosa pine and eastern 

redcedar.

Volume, Biomass, and Trends

3 

RESOURCE UPDATE FS-75

Common name Latin name Million 

treesa

Net volumeb

(million ft3)

Aboveground

biomassa

(thousand 

dry tons)

Average 

net growthb

(thousand 

ft3/yr)

Average 

mortalityb

(thousand 

ft3/yr)

Average 

harvest 

removalsb

(thousand 

ft3/yr)

Eastern redcedar

Juniperus

virginiana 155.0 213.4 4,870.3 11,385.9 1,866.3 1,275.9

Ponderosa pine

Pinus

ponderosa 54.2 290.5 5,357.0 -9,875.6 11,958.3 2,362.9

Green ash

Fraxinus 

pennsylvanica 34.0 127.4 3,589.6 540.6 4,214.0 544.4

Hackberry

Celtis

occidentalis 31.8 79.4 2,015.2 4,411.3 1,160.2 83.5

Bur oak

Quercus

macrocarpa 24.7 311.0 8,648.1 5,542.2 3,543.2 447.5

Red mulberry Morus rubra 24.0 86.1 2,533.3 3,754.8 1,178.4 307.6

American elm

Ulmus

americana 15.5 72.1 1,663.5 3,124.1 2,244.8 64.6

Eastern 

cottonwood

Populus

deltoides 10.0 603.1 10,793.4 2,498.7 11,354.3 8,744.5

Siberian elm

Ulmus

pumila 7.0 49.0 1,269.6 2,912.9 222.2 --

Honeylocust

Gleditsia 

triacanthos 5.7 27.2 860.6 604.6 248.8 --

American 

basswood

Tilia

americana 3.3 84.9 1,276.8 1,130.9 945.7 --

Black walnut

Juglans

nigra 2.3 28.9 665.6 1,453.5 929.5 686.3

a Trees ≥1-inch diameter

b Trees ≥5-inches diameter

Note: Table cells without data are indicated by --

Table 2.—Number, volume, biomass, growth, mortality, and removals of live trees on forest land for the 

top 12 tree species by number, Nebraska, 2010-2015.
Threats to Nebraska’s Forest Resources

RESOURCE UPDATE FS-75

4

Changes in the frequency and severity of climate-related events can have serious impacts on forest resources. It is 

important to understand what is threatening forests and what this means for the future of the resource. 

When FIA plots are revisited, field crews determine what caused the death of trees that were alive at the time of 

previous inventory. The death-causing agents include insect, disease, fire, animal, weather (ice, wind, flooding, 

drought), vegetation (e.g., suppression, competition, vines/kudzu), unknown, or silvicultural or land-clearing activity. 

Animal damage leading to tree death is most often caused by livestock grazing. In addition, the causal agents are often 

interrelated. For example, insect activity or disease may initially kill trees making the whole forest susceptible to fire, 

which may be more severe than normal due to fuel build-up. Examination of these data provides insights about the 

threats to forest resources but note that determining cause of death can be difficult and there may be more than one 

agent on a plot but only the most severe is recorded for each individual tree that died.

There was a 111 percent increase in the number of trees killed between the 2010 and 2015 inventories. Fire and weather 

had the largest increases. Examination of the spatial locations of the plots where weather caused tree deaths revealed 

that flooding was likely the culprit due to the close proximity to rivers (Fig. 3). Table 3 shows the most common causes 

of tree deaths in Nebraska and the tree species most affected. 

Table 3.—Most common causes of tree mortality and the tree species most affected, Nebraska, 2015. 

The significant effects on ponderosa pine and bur oak are reflected in the most recent inventory data. In addition, 

mortality rates have also increased for eastern redcedar, American elm, cottonwood, and red mulberry, which impacts 

net growth and overall sustainability of these resources. 

Cause of death Species most affected

Insect Ponderosa pine, eastern redcedar

Disease Green ash, American elm, other elms

Fire Ponderosa pine, eastern redcedar, bur oak

Weather Green ash, bur oak, elms, eastern redcedar, cottonwood, red mulberry, black willow

Figure 3.—Tree mortality by cause of death on FIA plots, Nebraska, 2015. 

Depicted plot locations are approximate. Larger symbol sizes indicate more 

occurrences of tree mortality on the plot. 
RESOURCE UPDATE FS-75

The published report is available online at http://treesearch.fs.fed.us

How to Cite This Publication

Meneguzzo, D.M. 2016. Forests of Nebraska, 2015. 

Resource Update FS-75. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern 

Research Station. 5 p.

Northern FIA: http://nrs.fs.fed.us/fia/

National FIA: http://fia.fs.fed.us

Contact Information

Dacia Meneguzzo Research Forester

USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station

1992 Folwell Ave.

St. Paul, MN 55108

Ph: 651-649-5129 / Fax: 651-649-5140

dmeneguzzo@fs.fed.us 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

5

Definitions

Average annual mortality—The average cubic foot volume of sound wood in growing-stock trees that died in 1 year.

Average annual removals—The average net growing-stock volume in growing-stock trees removed annually for 

roundwood forest products, in addition to the volume of logging residues and the volume of other removals. 

Biomass—The aboveground weight of wood and bark in live trees 1.0 inch (2.5 cm) d.b.h. and larger from the ground to 

the tip of the tree, excluding all foliage. The weight of wood and bark in lateral limbs, secondary limbs, and twigs under 

0.5 inch (1.3 cm) in diameter at the point of occurrence on sampling-size trees is included but is excluded on poletimber

and sawtimber-size trees. Biomass is typically expressed as green or oven-dry weight and the units are tons.

Forest land—Land that has at least 10 percent canopy cover of live trees of any size or formerly having had such tree 

cover and is not currently developed for nonforest uses. The area with trees must be at least 1 acre in size and at least 120

feet wide.

Forest type—A classification of forest land based upon and named for the tree species that forms the plurality of live-tree 

stocking. A forest type classification for a field location indicates the predominant live-tree species cover for the field 

location; hardwoods and softwoods are the first group to be determine predominant group, and forest type is selected 

from thepredominant group.

Net annual growth—The average annual net increase in the volume of trees during the period between 

inventories. Components include the increment in net volume of trees at the beginning of the specific year surviving to 

its end, plus the net volume of trees reaching the minimum size class during the year, minus the volume of trees that died 

during the year, and minus the net volume of trees that became cull trees during the year. 

Net volume in cubic feet—The gross volume in cubic feet less deductions for rot, roughness, and poor form. Volume is 

computed for the central stem from a 1-foot stump to a minimum 4.0-inch top diameter outside bark, or to the point 

where the central stem breaks into limbs. 

Reserved forest land—Land permanently reserved from wood products utilization through statute or administrative 

designation. Examples include National Forest wilderness areas and National Parks and Monuments.

Timberland —Forest land that is producing or is capable of producing in excess of 20 cubic feet per acre per year of 

industrial wood in natural stands and is not withdrawn from timber utilization by statute or administrative regulation. 

Additional Inventory Sources

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.

Meneguzzo, D.M.; Crocker, S.J.; Nelson, M.D.; Barnett, C.J. [et al.]. 2012. Nebraska’s Forests 2010. Resour. Bull. NRS-68. Newtown 

Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 47 p.

O’Connell, B.M.; LaPoint, E.B.; Turner, J.A. [et al.]. 2014. The Forest Inventory and Analysis database: database description and user 

guide version 6.0.1 for Phase 2. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 748 p. 

http://www.fia.fs.fed.us/library/databse-documentation/.