North Carolina’s forests, 2007

The principal findings of the eighth forest survey of North Carolina are presented. In 2007, forests covered 18.6 million acres of the State, of which 18.1 million were classified as timberland. Oak-hickory was the most common forest-type group and covered 7.3 million acres of the timberland. The second most common forest-type group was loblolly-shortleaf pine, which covered 5.3 million acres of timberland. Nonindustrial private forest ownerships controlled 78 percent of the State’s timberland. Hardwood tree species accounted for 65 percent of the all-live wood volume that occurred on the State’s timberland. Total net growth of all-live trees on timberland averaged 1.5 billion cubic feet and removals averaged >1.1 billion cubic feet.