USDA Forest Service - Forest Inventory & Analysis

The estimates presented are based on data retrieved from the FIA database (05/09/2019) 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

5.87%

Federal

11.12%

Private

83.01%

North Carolina, 2017

2012 2017

18.79

18.62

Area of forest land

(million acres)

14.58

Number of live trees 14.69

on forest land

(billion trees)

43.59

Volume of live trees 39.33

on forest land

(billion cubic feet)

Annual Net Change

Annual Removals

Annual Mortality

Annual Gross Growth

All live (million cubic feet)

68,313 acres of nonforest

revert back to forest annually*

67,716 acres of forest land

convert annually* to nonforest

379,715 acres of forest land

are treated (harvest, thinning, etc.)

annually*

120,888 acres of forest land

are disturbed annually* by fire

53,291 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 5,739 sample plots across the State, of

which 3,662 are currently forested. Each year, about 14-20

percent of these plots are visited and measured by field

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

database on 05/09/2019.

55% forested

North Carolina has an estimated 18,794,159 acres of forest land.

2,0

5

4

7

91

8

91

3

71

Forest land ownership
Archived Versions

This report can be found on the USDA Forest Service publication database, Treesearch, at: https://doi.org/10.2737/FS-RU-187 .

Archived versions of resource updates can be found by searching Treesearch using keywords "Forest Inventory" and "North Carolina" here:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/.

How to cite this publication

USDA Forest Service. 2019. Forests of North Carolina, 2017. Resource Update FS-187. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest

Service. 2p. https://doi.org/10.2737/FS-RU-187 .

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, 2017 can be found here: https://doi.org/10.2737/FS-RU-187-Tables

The FIA one-click application can be found here:

https://public.tableau.com/views/FIA_OneClick_V1_2/StateSelection?%3AshowVizHome=no/.

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, 2017

Forests of