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What is a Forest

What is a Forest. WHAT IS A FOREST?. Only trees? A community? An ecosystem? Includes animals? Fish? Streams & lakes? Houses? How big of an area? Regeneration areas? Plantations? Christmas tree farm? Ecological processes like nutrient or energy cycling? .

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What is a Forest

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  1. What is a Forest WHAT IS A FOREST? Only trees? A community? An ecosystem? Includes animals? Fish? Streams & lakes? Houses? How big of an area? Regeneration areas? Plantations? Christmas tree farm? Ecological processes like nutrient or energy cycling? “That portion of a geographically large area dominated by trees. As an ecosystem, it is meant to include all plants and sometimes the animals dependent upon the trees and plants. Smaller area of largely homogenous tree compositions are called stands”.

  2. ANOTHER DEFINITION Forest - An ecosystem characterized by a more or less dense and extensive tree cover, often consisting of stands varying in characteristics such as species composition, structure, age class, and associated processes, and commonly including meadows, streams, fish, and wildlife. - Note: forest include special kinds such as industrial forests, non-industrial private forests, plantations, public forests, protection forests, and urban forests, as well as parks and wilderness. -Society of American Foresters

  3. FOREST DISTRIBUTION Data compiled by: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station, Starkville MS, December 1992 FOREST DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES

  4. FOREST HISTORY Forest History ... Cut ... Burn ... Farm ... Recovery ... Source: “Michigan’s Forests”. DNR. 32 pp.

  5. EARLY LOGGING & LAND CLEARING Much of the forest was simply cut and burned for farms. Pines and other softwoods were harvested for lumber for growing cities. Softwoods float better than hardwoods, so could be river run. The hardwoods were cut in the second wave for charcoal, mine props, car parts, furniture, and other products. Did you know the monetary value of the wood harvested from Michigan exceeded the monetary value of all the gold taken from California during the gold rush?

  6. PRESETTLEMENT FOREST COVER White, Red, and Jack Pine Spruce and Fir Oak and Hickory Elm, Ash, and Cottonwood Maple, Beech, and Yellow Birch Aspen and Paper Birch Non-Forested Land Water Source: Great Lakes Assessment web site: http://198.87.4.38/gla/index.htm Early settlement vegetation was obtained from the Michigan Natural Features Inventory. Vegetation mapped by P.J. Comer et al. (1995) using General Land Office surveys dated 1816-1856.

  7. CURRENT FOREST COVER White, Red, and Jack Pine Spruce and Fir Oak and Hickory Elm, Ash, and Cottonwood Maple, Beech, and Yellow Birch Aspen and Paper Birch Non-Forested Land Water Source: Great Lakes Assessment web site: http://198.87.4.38/gla/index.htm U.S. Forest Service. AVHRR satellite data collected in 1990, and processed by the Southern Forest Experiment Station.

  8. U.P. FOREST ANDLAND COVER CLASS-1993 TIMBERLAND 77% RESERVED FOREST 3% OTHER FOREST 1% NON-FOREST & WATER 19% Source: FIA-1993Excel: FIA/LandUseCoUP

  9. U.P.TIMBERLANDBY FOREST TYPE-1993 NORTHERN HARDWOOD 44% ASPEN SWAMP HARDWOOD 14% 6% OTHER 3% PINE LOWLAND CONIFER 8% 25% Source: FIA-1993Excel: FIA/TimberUP-Type

  10. U.P. TIMBERLANDBY OWNERSHIP-1993 1% OTHER 15% CORPORATE FOREST INDUSTRY 18% 19% STATE 20% FEDERAL PNIF 27% THOUSANDS OF ACRES Source: FIA-1993Excel: FIA/Up Owner & NonForest

  11. VOLUME BY SPECIES GROUP 1980 & 1993 50 40 MILLION CORDS 30 20 10 PINE OTHER SOFTWOOD OAK-HICKORY NORTHERN HARDWOOD ASPEN OTHER HARDWOOD Note: X-axis labels are species groups, not forest types Source: FIA-1993Excel: MWM/Vol Species UP

  12. GROWTH, HARVEST, AND MORTALITY 1980-1993 SOFTWOODS HARDWOODS Source: FIA-1993Excel: MWM/UP Growth

  13. harvest How much wood is harvested in the U.P. each year? Annual U.P. Harvest About 1.7 million cords Source: USFS FIA, 1992, Periodic Annual Removals, 1980-1992

  14. Growth How much wood is GROWNin the U.P. each year? Annual U.P. Growth About 3.7 million cords Source: USFS FIA, 1992, Periodic Annual Removals, 1980-1992

  15. Grow Stock How much total wood is STANDING in U.P. forest? Standing Wood Volume in the U.P. About 156 million cords! Around the world 4.7 times! Source: USFS FIA, 1992, Periodic Annual Removals, 1980-1992

  16. 10 MOST COMMON TREES IN THE U.P.-1993 SUGAR MAPLE OTHERS RED MAPLE QUAKING ASPEN CEDAR P.BIRCH Y.BIRCH FIR HEMLOCK W.PINE W.SPR. Source: FIA-1993Excel: MWM/Common Trees

  17. FOREST TYPE DISTRIBUTIONWESTERN & EASTERN U.P. MILLIONACRES W.U.P. E.U.P. PINE SPRUCE-FIR OTHERS ASPEN-BIRCH ELM-ASH-COTTONWOOD NORTHERNHARDWOOD Source: FIA-1993Excel: FIA/TimberCo-Type

  18. WHY ARE PRIVATE FOREST HOLDINGS SO IMPORTANT? Personal reasons. We’ll take a look at the U.P. a bit later. Community reasons. “The land is mine”, said the Creator. “You may not sell it permanently.” “You are merely my tenants and sharecroppers.” - Leviticus 25:23 “If we are going to continue using more and more wood, then we have a moral responsibility to grow more wood to meet that demand.” “The good news is that we can do just that … without destroying our natural forests in the process.” - Dr. Jess Daniels

  19. COMMUNITY REASONS Our forest-based economy. Jobs, schools, roads, etc. Wildlife populations extend beyond property boundaries. Wood supply. People use more wood each year. Future generations of people. Visual quality and sense of place. Watershed protection/water quality. Maintenance of lifestyle and traditions. Lets take a look at some of these reasons in a little more detail . . .

  20. WOOD CONSUMPTION IN THE UNITED STATES MILLION CORDS 1960 1970 1980 1988 1993 2 MILLION BOX CARS ENCIRCLING THE EARTH! Source: Genetics Workshop Notes, 1995

  21. REDUCED TIMBERLAND BASE 52 62 77 87 90 00 30 WHY? DROP IN TIMBERLAND ACREAGE IN THE U.S. 467 million acres in 1990 DROP IN PER CAPITA TIMBERLAND ACREAGE 1.88 acres in 1990 Source: Genetics Workshop Notes, 1995

  22. OUR COLLECTIVE ECONOMY • Michigan forest industry adds over $9 billion each year. • Supports 150,000 jobs. • Timber sales provide millions to roads and schools, and other local government expenditures. • There are 367 primary wood-using mills and an additional 1,733 manufacturers. • Is vital to the Upper Peninsula economy. MDNR “Wood Products in Michigan”, 1996.

  23. FORESTS AS A LIFESTYLE CHOICE AND QUALITY ENVIRONMENT watersheds people visual Hunting/tradition wildlife

  24. TIMBERLAND ACREAGE OWNERSHIP in the UPPER PENINSULA County/Municipal PRIVATE 5,076,800 acres State INDIVIDUAL 2,826,221 acres Federal Total Timberland8,398,300 acres OthersClubs/Assns Total U.P. Area10,509,100 acres Corporate Partnerships Source: PNIF-1994Excel: MWM/PNIFac-OwnClass Note: FIA-1994 shows PNIF acreage to be 2,318,600 acres

  25. TIMBERLAND ACREAGE - U.P. OWNER OCCUPATION Retirees No Answer Professionals Executives Skilled Trades Other Blue Collar Other White Collar Farmers Homemakers Service 1000 Acres PNIF Area - 2,826,221 Acres Source: PNIF-1994Excel: MWM/PNIFac-Various

  26. PNIF OWNERSHIPIN MICHIGAN % PNIF 0-19 20-39 40-59 60-79 80+ FOREST HELD BY PRIVATE,NON-INDUSTRIAL LANDOWNERS Only counties which are at least 25% forested are included. Source: FIA-1993Excel: MWM/MI-Co-PNIF

  27. REASONS TO OWN FOREST LAND MICHIGAN-WIDE RecreationPart of ResidenceEsthetic EnjoymentPart of FarmFarm or Domestic UseLand InvestmentNo AnswerOtherEstate to Pass OnTimber Production UPPER PENINSULA RecreationPart of Residence Esthetic Enjoyment No Answer Farm or Domestic Use Other Land Investment Estate to Pass On Timber Production Part of Farm #1 in TermsofAcres Source: PNIF-1994Excel: MWM/Reason to Own

  28. FOREST TENUREUPPER & LOWER PENINSULA UP LP % The UP has a higher percentage of acres in new ownerships and the oldest ownerships. 90s 80s 70s 60s 50s 40s <40s N/A Decade of Acquisition Source: PNIF-1994Excel: MWM/Tenure

  29. AVERAGE SIZEOF OWNERSHIP All MI SLP NLP EUP WUP UP and WUP tend to be larger probably due to large industrial ownerships and further distances from human population centers. Source: PNIF-1994Excel: MWM/PNIFac-various

  30. TO HARVEST … OR NOT? REASONS FOR HARVESTING For Own Use Mature Timber No Reason Given Land Clearing Timber Salvage Cultural Treatment Needed Money Other Wildlife Habitat Good Price Recreation/Visuals REASONS FORNOT HARVESTINGNo AnswerLow VolumeOpposed to HarvestScenery ReducedDestroys HuntingArea Too SmallOtherNot Enough KnowledgeTrees Too SmallPoor QualityDistrust LoggersNo Market/Low Price 169,772 responses 8,810,158 acres 183,363 responses 3,229,242 acres For All Michigan Source: PNIF-1994Tables 20 & 23

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