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120°W 110°W

45°N

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0 5 250 00

Miles

0 5 250 00

Kilometers

Projection: Albers Equal Area Conic USGS Version

Central Meridian: 96W

Latitude of Origin: 23N

Datum: NAD83

Map Description

This map depicts the spatial distribution of ownership types across forest land in the conterminous United States circa 

2009. The distribution is derived, in part, from Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data that are collected at a sample 

intensity of approximately one plot per 2400 ha across the United States (U.S. Forest Service 2012). Ownership 

categories were mapped to the landscape using Thiessen polygons, and a forest/nonforest mask was applied to limit 

ownership portrayal to forested areas (Butler et al. 2014). Inset maps (below) depict states by the percentage of forest 

land held by owner type indicated. States that appear darker do not necessarily have more forested land of a particular 

type than other states, but rather have a greater percentage of their forested land in a given ownership type.

Forest Service Northern 

Research Station

Research Map

NRS-6

Publication Date 

August 2014

United States Department of Agriculture

Distribution of Six 

Forest Ownership Types 

in the Conterminous 

United States

Jaketon H. Hewes, Brett J. Butler, Greg C. Liknes, Mark D. Nelson, 

and Stephanie A. Snyder

*Family includes individuals, families, trusts, estates, 

and family partnerships.

**Other private includes conservation and natural 

resource organizations, unincorporated partnerships 

and associations, and Native American tribal lands.

**Other private includes conservation and natural 

resource organizations, unincorporated partnerships 

and associations, and Native American tribal lands.

Public Forest

Federal State Local

Percent of Forested Land by Ownership Type

Private Forest

Family* Corporate Other private**

Scale and legend apply to all six ownership type maps.

<1% 1-4% 5-9% 10-19% 20-39% 40-59% 60-79% ≥80%

0 500 1,000 Miles

Suggested Citation

Hewes, Jaketon H.; Butler, Brett J.; Liknes, Greg C.; Nelson, Mark D.; Snyder, Stephanie A. 2014. Map of distribution 

of six forest ownership types in the conterminous United States. [Scale 1: 10,000,000, 1: 34,000,000.] Res. Map NRS-6. 

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

Data Sources

Forest land was identified using a forest probability dataset (Wilson et al. 2012). Public and private ownership types 

were derived from FIA plot data, with federal and state land ownership supplemented with data from the Protected Areas 

Database of the United States (CBI 2012). Political boundaries and basemap layers are from Environmental Systems 

Research Institute (ESRI; Redlands, CA) data and maps. The dataset used to create this map is available for download 

(Hewes et al. 2014).

References

Butler, B.J.; Hewes, J.H.; Liknes,G.C.; Nelson, M.D.; Snyder, S.A. 2014. A comparison of techniques for generating forest 

ownership spatial products. Applied Geography. 46:21-34. 

Conservation Biology Institute [CBI]. 2012. PAD-US (CBI Edition) Version 2. Corvallis, OR: Conservation Biology 

Institute. Available at http://consbio.org/products/projects/pad-us-cbiedition.

Hewes, J.H.; Butler, B.J.; Liknes,G.C.; Nelson, M.D.; Snyder,S.A. 2014. Distribution of forest ownership types in the 

conterminous United States: FOR_OWN_TYP geospatial dataset [database]. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2014-0002. 

U.S. Forest Service. 2012. Forest Inventory and Analysis national core field guide: Volume 1: Field data collection 

procedures for phase 2 plots. Version 6.0. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 427 pages. 

Available at http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/fia/data-collection/.

Wilson, BT.; Lister, A.J.; Riemann, R.I. 2012. A nearest-neighbor imputation approach mapping tree species over large 

areas using forest inventory plots and moderate resolution raster data. Forest Ecology and Management. 271:182-198.

The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Federal

State

Local

Corporate

Other Private**

Public Private

Family* Non-forest

43% 

2% 7% 

28% 

4% 

16% 

*Family includes individuals, families, trusts, estates, 

and family partnerships.
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.

Distribution of Six 

Forest Ownership Types 

in the Conterminous 

United States

Jaketon H. Hewes, Brett J. Butler, Greg C. Liknes, Mark D. Nelson, 

and Stephanie A. Snyder

Map Description

This map depicts the spatial distribution of ownership types across forest land in the conterminous United States circa 2009. 

The distribution is derived, in part, from Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data that are collected at a sample intensity of 

approximately one plot per 2400 ha across the United States (U.S. Forest Service 2012). Ownership categories were mapped to 

the landscape using Thiessen polygons, and a forest/nonforest mask was applied to limit ownership portrayal to forested areas 

(Butler et al. 2014). Inset maps depict states by the percentage of forest land held by owner type indicated. States that appear 

darker do not necessarily have more forested land of a particular type than other states, but rather have a greater percentage of 

their forested land in a given ownership type.

The Authors

Jaketon H. Hewes (jhewes@eco.umass.edu) is the research coordinator for the Family Forest Research Center, at the University 

of Massachusetts Amherst. Brett J. Butler (bbutler01@fs.fed.us) is a research forester with the Forest Inventory and Analysis 

program, Northern Research Station, in Amherst, MA. Greg C. Liknes (gliknes@fs.fed.us) is a research physical scientist and 

Mark D. Nelson is a research forester with the Forest Inventory and Analysis program, Northern Research Station, in St. Paul, MN. 

Stephanie A. Snyder (stephaniesnyder@fs.fed.us) is an Operations Research Analyst with the People and Their Environments: 

Social Science Supporting Natural Resource Management and Policy unit, Northern Research Station, St. Paul, MN.

Forest Service Northern 

Research Station

Research Map

NRS-6

Publication Date 

August 2014

United States Department of Agriculture

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.

Manuscript received for publication

January 2014

Published by 

USDA Forest Service

Northern Research Station

11 Campus Blvd., Suite 200

Newtown Square, PA 19073

August 2014

For additional copies:

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