U.S. Forestry Tree Facts
- In 1600, forests covered about 46 percent of the U.S. That is versus the 33 percent that forests cover now, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission. The commission notes that the "single oldest living thing on earth is a tree, a 4,600-year-old bristlecone pine tree in California," which was alive during the time Egyptians built the pyramids.
- U.S. forest trees play an important role in the nation. As forest trees grow they absorb carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen. Not only does this remove pollution, but forest trees serve as "carbon sinks" absorbing and storing about nine percent of the total carbon emissions in the U.S. annually. A tree absorbs about 1.47 pounds of carbon dioxide and releases approximately 1.07 pounds of oxygen for every pound of wood that tree grows. In addition, one acre of trees "can remove about 13 tons of dust and gasses from the surrounding environment every year, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission.
- Millions of trees grow in forests around the nation. U.S. forests contain 2,000 different species of hardwood and softwood trees. Of those, 1,051 are native tree species, 55 species of forest trees are critically endangered, while 69 species are endangered and 60 species are vulnerable, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says.
- The U.S., with about six percent of the world's forest area, has the fourth largest forest area of any nation, according to the U.N. FAO. It is the world's leading producer and consumer of forest products, the world’s largest producer of softwoods products and a leading producer of hardwood products. So it is no surprise that many of the commercially planted trees in U.S. forests are softwoods such as fir, pine and hemlock.
In 2000, 10 species accounted for 27 million cubic meters of commercially grown trees in U.S. forests. Those forest tree species were Douglas fir, loblolly pine, ponderosa pine, red maple, Western hemlock, lodgepole pine, white oak, sugar maple, yellow poplar and northern red oak. - Forests are lands of at least one acre or more that are at least 10 percent covered by trees of any size, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. U.S. forestry trees grow on lands owned by various entities. Only about 27 percent of the nation's forests are owned by the public, another 14 percent are owned by the commercial forestry industry and the remaining 59 percent of forest is privately owned,
- Not only does the age of forests vary in different parts of the U.S., but the average age of individual trees in those forests can vary as well, according to the USDA Forest Service. In the eastern U.S. about 35 percent of forests are more than 60 years old and 10 percent are more than 100 years old, while in the West, about 70 percent of forests are more than 60 years old and 35 percent are more than 100 years old.
In addition, there are difference in the ages of softwood trees compared to hardwood trees in forests. In general, softwood trees in forests are younger than hardwood trees. Softwood trees are managed more for timber, which means softwood trees are harvested at a younger age and more frequently than hardwood trees. In addition, replacement softwood trees are planted on a regular basis in many forests. Hardwood trees often peak in the age range of 40 to 79 years, according to the USDA Forest Service.
