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Forests

map of New York State showing forested areas of 5 acres in size and greater
Map of NY State showing forested areas of 5 acres and larger

Note: For descriptions and maps of DEC-managed recreation lands see the Places to Go page.

New York state is 63 percent forested -- forests cover 18.9 million acres of our 30 million total acres. Much of this land is privately owned and managed for wood or pulp. Most of the land owned by the state is forested.

New York's forests are important economic resources -- according to Cornell University, the forest industry employs more than 60,000 people and directly contributes some $4.6 billion to the state's economy each year.

Forests also provide outstanding recreation for many thousands of New Yorkers and visitors. DEC cares for about four million acres of land including the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserve, State Forests, Unique Areas and the State Nature and Historic Preserve.

Preserving and protecting our forests benefits local communities and industries, and the state as a whole. On this page you will find the programs DEC employs to manage state-owned forest lands, and to assist private landowners in managing their forests.

FIREWOOD ALERT - DON'T MOVE FIREWOOD! A regulation prohibits firewood from being brought into New York unless it has been heat treated to kill pests. The regulation also limits the transportation of untreated firewood to less than 50 miles from its source.
children enjoying Turkey Point State Forest

New York's Forests at a Glance

  • New York Land Area: 30.2 million acres. State Population: 19 million
  • New York Forest Area: 18.95 million acres, 63% of land area, about one acre per resident
  • Publicly-owned Forest Land: at least 3.7 million acres
  • Privately-owned Forest Land Area: 14.4 million acres; 76% of forest land; owned by 687,000 land owners
  • Number of tree species: more than 100 commercial and non-commercial
  • Most common forest type: maple/beech/birch (53% of forest land area)

Economic Importance of New York's Forests and Harvest Information

  • $300 million in annual payments to private landowners
  • 488 million board feet of logs
  • 2.1 million green tons pulpwood and wood chips
  • 25% of New York timber harvest is exported for processing
  • Economic contribution of forest products-related manufacturing and services: $14 billion (US Census)
  • Forest-related tourism: $1.9 billion

products made from wood: bowling pins, snowshoe and baseball bat
With proper planning and management,
forests provide renewable natural resources

Why Forests are Important

Forests cover 31% of total global land area.

  • Forests are home to 300 million people around the world.
  • Forests house 80% our terrestrial biodiversity.
  • The livelihood of over 1.6 billion people depends on forests.
  • Approximately 60 million people, mainly members of indigenous and local communities, reside in forests.
  • Forests store more than 1 trillion tons of carbon.
  • Over 40% of the world's oxygen is produced by rainforests.
  • More than 1/4 of modern medicines originate from tropical forest plants.
  • 13 million hectares or 32.5 million acres (roughly the size of NY State) of forest continue to be lost per year.
  • Deforestation accounts for 12 to 20% of the global greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.
  • The five most forest-rich countries (Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada, United States of America, and China) account for more than half of the total forest area.
  • More than 60 million people are employed by forest-based industries. The annual value of wood removed from forests is estimated to be more than $100 billion.

More about Forests:

  • Celebrating New York's Forests - Photo Contest - an effort to increase awareness of and appreciation for all types of forests, urban and rural, large and small, public and privately owned, across the state
  • Leaflets e-newsletter - Leaflets is a bi-monthly online newsletter that provides subscribers with updates on programs, activities and recreation opportunities associated with the Division of Lands and Forests.
  • Stewardship of DEC Lands - The land managed by DEC on behalf of the people of NYS includes some of the most spectacular scenery in New York, and includes every major ecosystem type in the State, ranging from the salt marshes of Long Island to the alpine tundra of the Adirondack High Peaks.
  • Forests and the Environment - Forests provide critical ecosystem services essential to human life and a high standard of living: clean water and air, forest products, fish and wildlife habitat, scenic beauty, recreational opportunity, carbon sequestration, open space, and energy independence.
  • New York's Forest Preserve - These public lands include 2.7 million acres in the Adirondack Forest Preserve and 288,000 acres within the Catskill Forest Preserve.
  • State Forests - Reforestation areas and multiple use lands outside the Adirondack and Catskill Parks.
  • Conservation Easements - Conservation easements are used to protect a variety of important natural resources and landscape values, such as water quality, wildlife habitat, sensitive ecosystems, wetlands, riparian areas, scenic areas, agricultural land, working forests, and historic sites. Easements allow for continued private ownership and traditional management while limiting or eliminating future development and undesirable land uses on a property.
  • Forest Health - The DEC Forest Health program is responsible for monitoring the ecological health and function of all of the forests of New York State. The highest priority is placed on early detection of and rapid response to high-impact invasive species that may threaten the health of our forests.
  • Wildfires - Information on wildfire in New York
  • Forest Products Utilization and Marketing - The Forest Products Utilization and Marketing program deals with many aspects of the utilization, significance, understanding and promotion of New York's forest resources and forest industries.
  • Private Forest Management - Foresters provide expert advice on wildlife habitat improvement, erosion control, tree planting, recreation enhancement, sugar bush management and silviculture
  • Urban and Community Forestry - Urban and community forestry is the management of trees and forests within populated areas from small villages to large cities
  • Forest Legacy Program - The FLP is a federal grant program that protects forest lands from conversion to non-forest uses.
  • New York's State Forester - New York State Forester's role and information.
  • New York Forest Action Plan - This planning effort looks at all forests statewide: public and private, rural and urban.
  • U.S. Forest Service Competitive Allocation Request for Proposals (CARP) - The U.S. Forest Service, Northeastern Area, has issued a request for proposals for competitive funding to support priorities identified in the state's Forest Action Plan, also known as the Forest Resource Assessment and Strategy (FRAS).