southern forests for the future
DESCRIPTION
WRI’s Southern Forests for the Future project seeks to raise awareness of the threats facing the forests of the southern United States - VA, FL, NC, SC, TX, KY, LA, OK, AR, TN, GA, AL, MS - and lay the foundation for increasing the acreage that is conserved or managed in a sustainable manner. For more information and interactive online maps, visit http://www.seesouthernforests.orgTRANSCRIPT
Southern Forests for the Future www.SeeSouthernForests.org
March 3, 2010 Photo credit: Tesha Sampson, istockphoto.com
For journalists on the phone or watching the webcast, please send questions by email to:[email protected]
Welcome and overview Janet RanganathanVice President for Science and Research
World Resources [email protected]
SeeSouthernForests.org and major findings Craig HansonDirector, People & Ecosystems Program
World Resources [email protected]
Role of private landowners Todd GartnerManager of Conservation Incentives
American Forest [email protected]
Agenda
For journalists on the phone or watching the webcast, please send questions by email to:[email protected]
Extent of southern U.S. forests
Leo Hohmann, Flickr
Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org
Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org
Southern forests are important for tackling climate change
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2009.
Southern forests are important for freshwater
Photo credit: Doug Bradley, Flickr
Southern forests are America’s “wood basket”
Southern forests face a number of challenges
Photo credit: Yanik Chauvin, istockphoto.com
www.SeeSouthernForests.org
Source: Greeley, 1925
Source: Greeley, 1925
Source: Greeley, 1925
Source: Foreman and Wolke, 1992
Extent of southern U.S. forests
Pre-European settlement era (pre-1630)
Agricultural expansion era (1630-1880)
Industrial logging era (1880-1920)
Semi-regeneration era (1920-1970)
Suburban encroachment era (1970-today)
Suburban expansion: Northeast Nashville, TN 1975
Suburban expansion: Northeast Nashville, TN 1990
Suburban expansion: Northeast Nashville, TN 2000
Suburban expansion: East Birmingham, AL 1990
Suburban expansion: East Birmingham, AL 2000
Suburban expansion: Northeast Atlanta, GA 1975
Suburban expansion: Northeast Atlanta, GA 1990
Suburban expansion: Northeast Atlanta, GA 2000
Urban and suburban area in South (1940)
Urban and suburban area in South (1970)
Urban and suburban area in South (2000)
Urban and suburban area in South (est. 2030)
Most southern forests are privately owned . . .
13%
60%27%
Source: Smith, W. Brad, Patrick D. Miles, Charles H. Perry, and Scott A. Pugh. 2009. Forest Resources of the United States, 2007. Gen. Tech. Rep. WO-78. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service; Butler, Brett J. 2008. Family forest owners of the United States, 2006. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-27. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station.
Individuals & families
Companies
Public
100% = 214 million acres
Most southern forests are privately owned . . .
13%
60%27%
. . . and a generational shift is on the horizon
Source: Smith, W. Brad, Patrick D. Miles, Charles H. Perry, and Scott A. Pugh. 2009. Forest Resources of the United States, 2007. Gen. Tech. Rep. WO-78. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service; Butler, Brett J. 2008. Family forest owners of the United States, 2006. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-27. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station.
Individuals & families
Companies
Public
24%< 55 years
of age
55+ years of age
100% = 214 million acres
76%
Age of individual & family forest owners
Future of southern forests rests in the hands of private landowners
Photo credit: Margaret Munford, American Forest Foundation
AFF Vision
AFF is committed to creating a future where North American forests are sustained by the public which understands and values the social, economic, and, environmental benefits they provide to our communities, our nation, and our world.
Keeping Private Forests as Forests
Current Situation• Slumping timber markets/ Mill closings• Increasing development• Tax pressures• Majority private ownership/many landowners - Opportunity• Inter-generational ownership changes• Decreasing resource agency budgets• Climate change
Who Owns the Forest?
Why Own Land?
1. Beauty and scenery
2. Family and heritage
3. Privacy
4. Nature protection
5. Connected to home or cabin
10. Timber production
National Woodland Owner Survey – US Forest Service
Intergenerational Transfer
Legacy AgreementsKeeping the Forest in the Family
Remembering Aldo Leopold
“When a farmer owns a rarity he should feel some obligation as its custodian, and a community should feel some obligation to help him carry the economic costs.”
“Conservation will ultimately boil down to rewarding the private landowner who conserves the public interest.”
Ecosystem Services and Markets
“On private land, we must...protect our forest landscapes before they no longer can function to support watershed health, biodiversity, conservation, and viable wood markets.”
“Emerging markets….will provide landowners with expanded economic incentive to maintain and restore our forests”
Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack 10/1/09
Markets for Ecosystem Services…Arrangements for placing economic value on natural assets normally “outside the market”
Financial systems that enable people who produce products and services to be compensated by those who benefit
Riparian planting
Wetland restoration
Sustainable forestry
Imagine…The portfolio approach to forest management – multiple income streams
Species recovery
Source: Adapted from the Willamette Partnership
Conservation easement
Carbon sequestration
Recreation
Tradeoffs
Sandhill Habitat Credit Trading• Conserve existing high quality
habitat in GA and AL
• Replicable habitat credit generating model
• Proactive/ Precompliance/ Voluntary offsets
• Broad partnership motivated to preclude listing
• Additional income streams for landowners
www.SeeSouthernForests.org
For more, visit
www.SeeSouthernForests.org
Photo credit: cwwycoff1, Flickr
Questions? email [email protected]