More than half of America’s forests, some 430 million acres, are owned by private landowners. These forests provide a wealth of goods and services to the American public- from helping to ensure clean water and a sustainable supply of forest products to providing wildlife habitat, open spaces, and opportunities for outdoor recreation. In certain areas of the country, the ability of private forests to contribute these benefits is being affected by increasing pressures from housing development, insect pests and disease, air pollution, fire and other factors.

This report is planned for early 2008. It displays and describes nationally consistent data that can help us understand where in the United States private forest contributions to clean water, timber, interior forest, and habitat for at-risk species are most likely to change as a result of residential development and other factors. The data are presented by watershed - an area of land that drains into a river, stream, or other body of water - in order to highlight the important connection between forests and one of the ecological services that they provide.