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Forests On The Edge
| Latest News: The National Forests on the Edge report has been released. |
About Forests on the Edge…
Over half of US forests (about 430 million acres) are privately owned. These private forests are a major source of clean water, clean air, wildlife habitat, forest products, and recreational opportunities supporting rural economies and urban lifestyles.
Encompassing about 192 million acres, our national forests and grasslands account for about 8.5 percent of total U.S. land area. These lands provide critical social ecological, and economic benefits to the nation.
The goals of the Forests on the Edge project are to increase public awareness of the importance of conserving America’s private forests as well as the private lands located around the nation’s national forests and grasslands; create additional tools for strategic planning, and provide better information to Congress and Forest Service partners on the values of and pressures on our forests. The project employs geographic information systems techniques to identify areas across the country where private forest services such as timber, wildlife habitat and water quality might be affected by factors such as development, fire, insect pests, and diseases. The project also seeks to understand where increases in housing density on lands adjacent to our national forests and grasslands might affect recreation, wildlife, water resources and other important public benefits.
This website will link you to completed Forests on the Edge reports as well as descriptions of studies in progress. Please select from the links below:
Completed reports:
- National Forests on the Edge: Development Pressures on America’s National Forests and Grasslands
- Forests on the Edge: Housing Development on America’s Private Forests
- Forests on the Edge: Case Studies of NW Washington, Maine and Georgia