Table 1. - Annual estimates, uncertainty, and change.

Figure 1. - Area of forest land and timberland by year.

Figure 2. - Area of forest land by size class of the top 

six forest types.

Pennsylvania’s Forest Resources, 2009 Research Note NRS-90

This publication provides an overview of forest resource attributes for Pennsylvania based on an annual inventory 

conducted by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program at the Northern Research Station of the U.S. Forest 

Service. These annual estimates, along with web-posted core tables, will be updated annually. For more information 

please refer to page 4 of this report.

1

Note: When available, sampling errors/bars provided in 

Figures and Tables represent 68 percent confidence 

interval.

Estimate 

(2009)

Sampling 

error (%)

Change(%) 

since 2004

Area (1,000 acres) 16,740 0.7 1.0

Number of live trees > 1-inch 

diameter (million trees) 8,287 1.7 -2.0

Dry biomass of live trees > 

1-inch diameter (1,000 tons) 1,023,292 1.0 5.4

Net volume of live trees > 

5-inch diameter (1,000,000 ft3

) 35,796 1.1 6.0

Annual net growth of live trees > 

5-inch diameter (1,000 ft3

/year) 865,743 2.8 N/A

Annual mortality of live trees > 

5-inch diameter(1,000 ft3

/year) 323,138 4.0 N/A

Harvest removals of live trees > 

5-inch diameter(1,000 ft3

/year) 404,054 6.8 N/A

Other removals of live trees > 

5-inch diameter(1,000 ft3

/year) 20,679 35.3 N/A

Timberland estimates

Area (1,000 acres) 16,202 0.8 1.0

Number of growing-stock trees 

> 5-inch diameter (million trees) 6,794 1.8 -5.2

Dry Biomass of live trees > 

1-inch diameter (1,000 tons) 988,358 1.1 5.1

Net volume of live trees > 

5-inch diameter (1,000,000 ft3

) 34,563 1.2 5.7

Net volume of growing-stock 

trees (1,000,000 ft3

) 32,280 1.2 4.4

Annual net growth of growingstock trees (1,000 ft3

/year) 767,682 2.7 N/A

Annual mortality of growingstock trees (1,000 ft3

/year) 234,433 4.5 N/A

Harvest removals of growingstock trees (1,000 ft3

/year) 340,813 6.9 N/A

Forest land estimates
Table 2. - Top 10 species by statewide volume estimates 2009.

2

Figure. 3. - Area of forest land by major owner group (2007) and size of family forest landholding (2006).

Private forest land - 71 percent of all forest land. 

Public forest land - 29 percent of all forest land. 

Nonforest

1 Red maple 6,657 2.6 7.0 15,917 3.9 13.2

2 Black cherry 3,727 4.1 5.6 11,717 5.6 7.7

3 Northern red oak 3,408 3.9 7.6 13,241 4.6 10.3

4 Chestnut oak 2,591 4.3 5.1 6,925 5.1 12.5

5 Sugar maple 2,582 4.9 3.1 7,562 6.0 9.7

6 Eastern hemlock 1,777 5.9 3.0 5,023 6.8 5.5

7 White ash 1,703 5.2 5.8 5,229 6.9 7.8

8 Yellow-poplar 1,675 7.6 17.4 7,065 8.5 24.6

9 White oak 1,646 5.2 1.9 5,373 6.6 4.8

10 Sweet birch 1,505 4.6 8.2 2,872 6.6 16.6

Other hardwoods 6,894 2.3 3.0 18,700 3.3 9.7

Other softwoods 1,632 6.5 14.3 5,170 7.5 18.8

All species 35,796 1.1 6.0 104,794 1.6 11.2

Change 

(%) 

since 

2004 

Volume of live 

trees on forest 

land 

(1,000,000 ft3

)

Change 

(%) 

since 

2004 

Volume of sawtimber 

trees on timberland 

(1,000,000 bdft)

Rank Sampling 

error 

(%)

Sampling 

error 

(%)

Species
Pennsylvania Issue Update – Basic Carbon Stocks and Flux 

The importance of Pennsylvania’s forests seems to grow faster as each decade passes. Among the many new 

reasons to value forest land, the ability to sequester carbon from the atmosphere has emerged as critical to the 

Nation’s carbon footprint and information that characterizes this function is in high demand. As a starting point, 

the FIA database now contains estimates for the basic carbon “pools.” These pools include carbon in trees (live 

and dead), understory vegetation, down woody debris, and soil. Trees and soil account for 8 out of 10 tons of 

carbon sequestered in Pennsylvania’s forests, or 47 and 36 percent, respectively (Fig. 4).

One benefit of FIA’s annual inventory system is the ability to track trends in conditions in a timely fashion. The 

change, or “flux,” in carbon pools is depicted in Fig. 4. As shown, carbon pools are stable. Any significant increase 

in the amount of carbon sequestered is due to expansion of carbon stored in trees. Although the forest’s role in 

storing carbon is not news, estimates of the amount and flux in carbon pools now provide a measure of 

Pennsylvania’s contribution; and hence, add to the understanding of climate change, which has scientists 

worldwide searching for information. Future expansion in carbon stocks will rely on forest managers ability to keep 

land in forest and provide for stewardship of this valuable treasure.

3

Figure. 4. – Percent of carbon stock on forest land (2008) and changes between 2004-2008, Pennsylvania.
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.

Smith, W.B. 2002. Forest inventory and analysis: a national inventory and monitoring program. Environmental 

Pollution. 116: 233-242.

USDA Forest Service. 2009. Forest inventory and analysis national core field guide, Vol. 1, field data collection 

procedures for Phase 2 plots, Ver. 4.0. Available at www.fia.fs.fed.us/library/field-guides-methods-proc (verified 

August 5, 2008). 

FIA Program Information

McCaskill, G.L.; McWilliams, W.H.; Butler, B.J.; Meneguzzo, D.M.; Barnett, C.J.; Hansen, M.H. 2011. Pennsylvania’s forest 

resources, 2009. Res. Note. NRS-90. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern 

Research Station. 4 p.

Citation for this Publication

4

Additional Pennsylvania Inventory Information

Ferguson, Roland H. 1955. The timber resources of Pennsylvania. Upper Darby, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 46 p.

Ferguson, Roland H. 1968. The timber resources of Pennsylvania. Res. Bull. NE-8. Upper Darby, PA: U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 145 p.

Considine, Thomas J.; Powell, Douglas S. 1980. Forest statistics for Pennsylvania, 1978. Res. Bull. NE-65. Broomall, 

PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 88 p.

Alerich, Carol A. 1993. Forest statistics for Pennsylvania, 1978 and 1989. Res. Bull. NE-126. Radnor, PA: U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 244 p.

Widmann, Richard H. 1995. Forest resources of Pennsylvania. Res. Bull. NE-131. Radnor, PA: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 41 p.

McWilliams, William H.; Stout, Susan L.; Bowersox, Todd W.; McCormick, Larry H. 1995. Advance tree-seedling 

regeneration and herbaceous cover in Pennsylvania forests. Northern Journal of Applied Forestry. 12(4): 187-191.

McWilliams, William H.; Cassell, Seth P.; Alerich, Carol L.; et al. 2007. Pennsylvania's forest 2004. Res. Bull. NRS-20. 

Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 86 p.

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Contact Information

Pennsylvania Analyst: Will McWilliams 610-557-4050 wmcwilliams@fs.fed.us

Data Acquisition / web sites: Carol L. Alerich, 610-557-4068, calerich@fs.fed.us

Website: fiatools.fs.fed.us