United States Department of Agriculture

Forest Service Northern 

Research Station

NRS-INF-31-15 Publication Date 

March 2015

Results from the U.S. Forest Service 2011-2013

National Woodland Owner Survey

Who Owns America’s Trees, 

Woods, and Forests? 
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Why Do Trees, Woods, 

and Forests Matter?

Trees, woods, and forests provide and 

protect most of the nation’s fresh water. 

They supply wildlife and fish habitats and 

give us a place to get in touch with nature. 

They offer opportunities for outdoor 

recreation, education, and solitude, as 

well as economic products. 

Trees, woods, and forests offer special 

rewards for private owners—from 

providing private, scenic spaces and 

places to hunt, fish, or enjoy nature, to 

being an asset that can be passed on to future generations.

You may enjoy your backyard trees where you hang your hammock and relax, the 

blossoms of spring on the sidewalk as you walk into work, or the natural backdrop 

trees provide to family photographs. 

Trees, woods, and forests connect us all with the natural world and are a part of our 

lives in cities, rural America, and anywhere in between.

Big or Small, all Properties are Important

Whether you have “trees” that shelter native plants and animals, a bit of “woods” 

behind your house where the kids play and you cut firewood, or a “forest” that earns 

your family income, your trees and the land they grow on matter to your life. Your 

needs and concerns about your woods and property are important, and you have your 

own unique ideas about the benefits, opportunities and challenges they provide. 

People may refer to trees, woods, or forest depending on the size of the acreage.

trees woods

forest
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More than half the woods and forest in the United States (441 million acres)—

mostly located in the east—is owned and managed by some 11 million private 

ownerships. Of those, 95 percent are classified as “Family and Individual” 

ownerships, 4 percent are classified as “Corporate” ownerships, and 1 percent is 

classified as “Other Private” ownerships. 

Where in the U.S.?

If you are a private owner of woods or forest, you are part of a group who, 

collectively, own more than half the woods and forests in the United States. 

Regardless of the size of your property, together all private ownerships make an 

impact on health of the environment.

 Private owners of woods or forest are “Family and Individual” owners, 

“Corporate” owners, and “Other Private” owners who own 1 or more acres of 

woods or forest land.

 Public woods or public forest owners are Federal, State, and local government 

agencies (such as the U.S. Forest Service and State forest departments). 

Ownership of woods and forest in the conterminous United States, 2013.

Private forest land

Public forest land

Nonforest
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Private Owners of Trees, Woods, and Forest

Land with trees, woods, and forests not only provides aesthetic beauty and privacy, 

but also clean water, wildlife habitat, timber or cordwood, and recreational 

opportunities. Depending on how much land you own and what your interests are, 

some of these benefits may be more important to you than others. 

Do you own less than 1 acre of trees?

You may be located in an urban or suburban area, surrounded by buildings, 

neighborhoods, and other cultural amenities. Or, you may have more trees around 

you than you own, and you may be benefiting from being a part of a larger forest. 

Not much is known about private forest owners owning less than 1 acre, but in the 

future we hope to learn more. 

Do you own between 1 and 9 acres of woods or forest?

If you are an owner in this category, you may reap many of the benefits woods and 

forests have to offer. You may use your land for recreational purposes or choose to 

cut firewood for the winter. These owners own 5 percent of all private woods and 

forests in the United States with average holdings of 3 acres, and have owned the 

land for roughly 23 years.

Top Five Reasons for Owning Woods or Forests

Part of home 

Beauty and scenery

Privacy 

Wildlife habitat 

Nature protection

Top Five Issues or Concerns

High property taxes 

Vandalism or illegal dumping 

 Keeping land intact for future generations 

Trespassing

Insects or diseases

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Do you own 10 or more acres of woods or forest?

In addition to all of the benefits described for other owners, your woods and forests may 

provide you with wood products and wider access to Federal or State forestry programs. 

Collectively, these owners own 95 percent of all private woods and forests in the United 

States with average holdings of 98 acres, owning it roughly 24 years.

Top Five Reasons for Owning Woods or Forest

 Beauty and scenery 

 Part of home 

 Wildlife habitat 

 Pass on to children/heirs

 Privacy 

Top Five Issues or Concerns

High property taxes 

Trespassing 

 Keeping land intact for future generations 

Vandalism or illegal dumping 

Insects or diseases 

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Different Types of Ownerships....Different Goals

If you own 10 or more acres, your opinions, behaviors, and intentions for your 

land may differ depending on if you are a Family and Individual, Corporate, or 

Other Private ownership of woods or forest. 

Let’s take a look at some characteristics of each of these 10+ acre landowner 

groups.

Family and Individual Ownerships – 10 or more acres

Family and Individual ownerships of woods or forest—4 million ownerships 

holding 61 percent of all private forests—include families, individuals, trusts, 

estates, family partnerships, and other unincorporated groups. 

On average, these ownerships own 66 acres of woods or forest, and have had it for 

an average of 24 years. 

Over 65 percent of these ownerships hunt and over 50 percent hike or walk on 

some part of their land. 

Nearly 40 percent of these ownerships cut or removed trees for their own use on 

some of their land, and 42 percent of the ownerships intend to improve wildlife 

habitat on some of their land in the next 5 years. 
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Every acre counts

The size of the woods or forest can make a difference in owners’ attitudes and 

objectives. Some management objectives such as timber production vary widely 

depending on the acreage owned, but many values, such as scenic beauty, are shared 

by ownerships of all sizes.

These ownerships also found home and wildlife to be important reasons for owning 

their land. 

Regardless of the reasons for owning woods and forests, planning and management 

can help support the desired activities over time. 

Yet only 1 in 4 acres of these ownerships are owned by someone who has a written 

forest management plan, and only 1 in 3 acres are owned by people who have 

received forest management advice.

What Does the Future Hold for Family and Individual Woods and Forests?

One in 6 acres is owned by people who plan to sell or transfer some or all of their 

woods or forest in the next 5 years. 

Changes in land ownership and management are likely to occur as land is passed 

from one generation to the next. 

Forty-three percent of Family and Individual ownerships of woods or forest are 

65 years or older.

Percentage of Family and Individual 

ownerships (10+ ac) who rated beauty and 

scenery, and timber production as very 

important or important reasons for owning 

their woods or forest, by size of woods and 

forest holdings.

500+

100-499

50-99

10-49

Beauty & Scenery Timber Production

Acres 

Owned

100% 80 60 40 20 0 0 20 40 60 80 100%

500+

100-499

50-99

10-49

Management Plan Management Advice

Acres 

Owned

100% 80 60 40 20 0 0 20 40 60 80 100%

Percentage of Family and Individual 

ownerships (10+ ac) having a written forest 

management plan and where ownerships 

received forest management advice, by size 

of woods and forest holdings.

500+

100-499

50-99

10-49

Beauty & Scenery Timber Production

Acres 

Owned

100% 80 60 40 20 0 0 20 40 60 80 100%

500+

100-499

50-99

10-49

Management Plan Management Advice

Acres 

Owned

100% 80 60 40 20 0 0 20 40 60 80 100%
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Corporate Forest Ownerships – 10 or more acres

Corporate forest ownerships are businesses that own forest land, primarily for timber, 

but in some cases for other reasons as well. These approximately 160,000 ownerships 

hold 28 percent of all private forests. On average, they own 775 acres of forest. 

Acres are not evenly split across these Corporate ownerships:

 5,000+ acre ownerships

1 percent of the ownerships

73 percent of the acreage

 50-4,999 acre ownerships

53 percent of the ownerships

26 percent of the acreage

 10-49 acre ownerships

46 percent of the ownerships

1 percent of the acreage 

Where are Corporate Forests?

Fifty-seven percent of the corporate forest acreage is in the south. The north has 

23 percent of the acreage and the west has 20 percent.

Corporate Forest Ownership 

Objectives

Two-thirds of corporate ownerships 

own land for investment purposes, 

67 percent as part of a farm/ranch. 

While 32 percent have timber products 

objectives (representing 86 percent of 

corporate acreage), only 23 percent 

have a management plan (representing 

76 percent of the acreage). 

Corporate forest ownership in the conterminous 

United States, 2013
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Other Private Forest Ownerships – 10 or more acres

Other Private forest ownerships include Native American tribes, nongovernmental 

conservation and natural resource organizations, and other (nonfamily) unincorporated 

partnerships. These approximately 42,000 forest ownerships hold 6 percent of all private 

forests. On average, they own 669 acres of forest. 

Acres are not evenly split across these Other Private ownerships:

 5,000+ acre ownerships

2 percent of the ownerships

56 percent of the acreage

 50 to 4,999 acre ownerships

44 percent of the ownerships

42 percent of the acreage

 10 to 49 acre ownerships

54 percent of the ownerships

2 percent of the acreage

Where are Other Private Forests?

The west region accounts for 58 percent of 

the other private forest acreage, the south 22 

percent and the north 20 percent.

Other Private Forest Ownership 

Objectives

About 90 percent of these ownerships own it 

for wildlife habitat protection, and 88 percent 

own it for beauty and scenery.

Other Private forest ownership in the conterminous 

United States, 2013
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Your Information Needs: Help is Available

Every survey respondent had the opportunity to tell us their top information needs 

regarding their woods and forests. Respondents said they wanted information on:

1. More favorable tax policies

2. Advice on woodland and forest management

3. How to transfer land to the next generation

Tax Policy Information

If you need information on programs that can help lower your tax burden, contact 

your local state forestry agency to ask about how:

 Current use programs may help defer or reduce property taxes

 To deal with timber and other activities on income taxes

 Conservation-based tax incentives that limit development rights can reduce taxes

Woodland and Forest Management Advice

Whether you are concerned about insects and diseases, timber sales, tree 

regeneration, or timber markets, we suggest you contact your:

 Local extension forester from your State/land grant university 

State forestry agency 

Estate Planning Information

Estate planning resources vary by state. Consult:

 An extension forester from your state university or a 

state forester

 American Bar Association real property, trust, and 

estate law section

For more information on these topics, 

please visit the Web page 

www.familyforestresearchcenter.org/

landowner-resources.html

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Conclusions

America’s woods and forests reflect the remarkable diversity and complexity of both 

their landscapes and their owners. Most of the woods and forests are privately owned. 

Families and Individuals are the main owner category, owning more acres than 

corporate or other private owners. Many attitudes, behaviors, and concerns are shared 

by all private owners, who commonly take great satisfaction in the beauty and privacy 

that their woods and forests provide, the wildlife habitat they protect, and the family 

heritage that they represent. 

Yet every private owner of woods and forests has a unique set of circumstances and 

faces individual challenges, perhaps associated with their reasons for owning their 

land. Families and Individuals most often cited reasons of beauty, home, and wildlife. 

Corporations most often cited reasons for owning their land that were investment and 

farm/ranch related. Representatives from Other Private ownerships most often cited 

wildlife and wildlife related reasons for owning their land. Clearly, owners of woods 

and forests can benefit from suitable services and resources that help ensure their 

forests and their goals can be sustained into the future. 

Unless noted otherwise, figures generally are for the 

conterminous (lower 48) United States. 

The figure on the bottom of page 2 is: “Trees,” 

“Woods,” and “Forest” from BEST PICTURE 

DICTIONARY EVER! by Richard Scarry, copyright 

©1966 and copyright renewed 1994 by Richard 

Scarry. Used by permission of Golden Books, an 

imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a 

division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

The photos on the front and back cover; those on 

pages 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8; and the one on the bottom of 

page 10 are from Thinkstock.com.

The photo on page 9 is courtesy of U.S. Forest 

Service.

The photo on the top of page 10 is by Jennifer Fish, 

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and 

Recreation, used with permission.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits 

discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis 

of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, 

political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. 

(Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with 

disabilities who require alternative means for communication of 

program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should 

contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice 

and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, 

Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 

14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-

9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider and employer.
This report highlights general ownership patterns 

and key information about private owners of trees, 

woods, and forests from the 2011-2013 National 

Woodland Owner Survey, which is conducted by the 

U.S. Forest Service, to help us better understand:

Who owns the woods and forests of the United States

Why they own it

How they use it now

How they intend to use it

For more results from this survey, visit 

the U.S. Forest Service’s National 

Woodland Owner Survey Website at 

www.fia.fs.fed.us/nwos.