|  | Public Health Safety | Environmental Health

Rates of Deforestation & Reforestation in the U.S.

In the United States deforestation occurs because of the demand for agricultural land, road construction and the need for forest products such as timber. Most deforested areas include primary forests, which were previously unaltered by humanity. Reforestation programs have successfully reversed the trend of forest loss, although concerns are raised over the ecological quality of replacement trees.

  1. Historical Deforestation Trend

    • Most deforestation in the United States occurred over three centuries, from 1620 to 1920. During this time approximately 90 percent of virgin forests across 48 states were lost. At peak deforestation, rates reached 2 percent annually, equivalent to current deforestation rates in the Amazon. It was then predicted that a further three-quarters of forest would disappear after 70 years. Significant reforestation has occurred in the 20th century to offset such rates.

    Recent Deforestation

    • According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, the United States has the seventh highest deforestation rate at 0.3 percent per year, the worst among industrialized nations. Approximately 831 square miles of primary forest were lost between 2000 and 2005. An estimated 80 percent of remaining forest in the Pacific Northwest region is scheduled to be cleared.

    Reforestation

    • Despite worrisome deforestation rates, the United States still ranks fourth in the world for total forest cover with an average of 1.17 million square miles of forest. This is thanks mainly to reforestation. In 1996 reforestation exceeded deforestation by approximately 37 percent. In 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency reported an increase of close to 386 square miles per year during the 2000s. This is not reflected nationwide. Only half of harvested forests in the southern region of United States are being replanted.

    Ecological Concern

    • Primary, or old-growth, forests contain a diverse range of flora and fauna; hence, conservation is important for maintaining the habitats of many species. Reforestation programs pose a possible threat to biodiversity; newly planted trees differ in composition and structure from trees of indigenous forests. It is estimated that only one-third of total forest cover in the United States is primary forest.

Environmental Health - Related Articles