Forest Ownership in the Conterminous United States

Map Description

This map depicts the spatial distribution of forest land

across the conterminous United States (CONUS), in

2007, differentiated into public vs. private forest land,

and the percentage of corporate ownership of private

forest land. 

Notable differences between eastern and western

United States are evident on the map, as reported in

Smith et al. (2009). Over two-thirds of western forest

land is publicly owned, the majority of which is

administered by the U.S. Forest Service as National

Forests. In the East, more than 80 percent of forest

land is privately owned. 

Corporate forest land is privately owned by an

incorporated business, e.g., forest industry, timber

investment management organizations (TIMOs), or

real estate investment trusts (REITs). Concentrations

of corporate forest land are seen in Maine and in

portions of the Southeast, South Central, Lake States,

and Pacific Northwest regions. ‘No Data’ class

represents private forest land where Forest Inventory

and Analysis (FIA) plot data were insufficient to

determine percentage corporate ownership. 

Information displayed on this map was derived from

multiple sources. Maps produced by FIA are for

graphic display to meet general reporting

requirements. Sources and intended uses of FIA data

are available at: http://fia.fs.fed.us/tools-data/ 

Suggested Citatiton

Nelson, Mark D.; Liknes, Greg C.; Butler, Brett J.

2010. Map of forest ownership in the conterminous

United States. [Scale 1:7,500,000.] Res. Map NRS-2.

Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture,

Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 

Data Sources 

The forest/nonforest land/water classification is derived

from the U.S. Forest Service’s CONUS forest/nonforest

dataset. Public and private land ownership class is

derived from the Protected Areas Database of the

United States: PAD-US 1.1 (CBI Edition) – last

accessed 9 June 2010.

Corporate ownership of private forest land is derived

from the Forest Service’s 2007 RPA dataset,

summarized over the Environmental Protection

Agency’s original EMAP grid 648 km2 hexagon dataset.

Political boundaries and basemap layers are from

Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) 

Data & Maps. 

References 

Nelson, Mark D.; Liknes, Greg C.; Butler, Brett J.

2010. Forest ownership in the conterminous United

States: ForestOwn geospatial dataset [Database].

Version 1. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of

Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station.

Available at http://nrs.fs.fed.us/data/rds/0001

Smith, W.B.; Miles, P.D.; Perry, C.H.; Pugh, S.A. 2009.

Forest resources of the United States, 2007. Gen. Tech.

Rep. WO-78. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of

Agriculture, Forest Service. 336 p. 

Publication date: July 2010 

Mark D. Nelson, Greg C. Liknes, and Brett J. Butler

U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Forest Inventory and Analysis

Forest – Public

Forest – Private

National Forest

Other Public

100% Corporate

0% Corporate

No Data

Nonforest

Public

Private

Lakes and Rivers

22%

22%

59%

22%

13%

6%

47% 9%

West East Scale: 1:7,500,000

Projection: Albers Equal Area Conic

Central Meridian: 96° W

Latitude of Origin: 40° N

Datum: NAD83

0 500 1,000 250

Miles

0 500 1,000 250

Kilometers

Public Forest Private Forest

National Forest

Other Public

Corporate

Non-corporate
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Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Manuscript received for publication

July 2009

Published by 

USDA Forest Service

Northern Research Station

11 Campus Blvd., Suite 200

Newtown Square, PA 19073

July 2010

For additional copies:

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Map Disclaimer

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service has developed this information

for the guidance of its employees, its contractors, and its cooperating Federal, State and

other agencies. It is not responsible for the interpretation or use of this information by

anyone except its own employees. The use of trade, firm, corporation, or association

names in this publication is for the information and convenience of the reader and does

not constitute an endorsement by the Department of any product or service. This product

is reproduced from geospatial information prepared by the U.S. Department of

Agriculture, Forest Service. Geographic Information System (GIS) data and product

accuracy may vary. They may be developed from sources of differing accuracy, accurate

only at certain scales, based on modeling or interpretation, or incomplete while being

created or revised. Using GIS products for purposes other than those or for which they

were created may yield inaccurate or misleading results. This information was released

on the indicated date. The Forest Service reserves the right to correct, update, modify, or

replace GIS products without notification.

Map Description

This map depicts the spatial distribution of forest land across the conterminous United States, in

2007, differentiated into public vs. private forest land, and the percentage of corporate

ownership of private forest land. 

Notable differences between eastern and western United States are evident on the map. Over

two-thirds of western forest land is publicly owned, the majority of which is administered by the

U.S. Forest Service as National Forests. In the east, more than 80 percent of forest land is

privately owned. 

Map of Forest Ownership

in the Conterminous

United States

Mark D. Nelson, Greg C. Liknes, and Brett J. Butler

U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 

Forest Inventory and Analysis

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture

Forest 

Service

Northern

Research Station

Research Map

NRS-2

The Authors

MARK D. NELSON is a research forester and GREG C. LIKNES is a research physical scientist

with the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, Northern Research Station, in St. Paul, MN.

BRETT J. BUTLER is a research forester with the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program,

Northern Research Station, in Amherst, MA.