The term “working forests” refers to forestland carefully managed to supply a steady, renewable supply of wood for lumber, energy, paper and packaging, and more than 5,000 items that consumers use every day.
Approximately 360 million acres – or 70% – of the working forests in the U.S. are on private land, owned by individuals, families, small and large businesses, and an increasing number of Americans who invest in working forests for retirement.
final harvest ranges by tree species and region,
based on average rotations
Read more about the economic impacts of working forests in your state.
Read the report: The Economic Impact of Privately-Owned Forests in the United States, conducted by Forest2Market.
What many don’t realize is that the benefits of actively managed forests are critical for urban communities as well. Working forests filter almost 30% of our drinking water, provide habitat for 60% of our at-risk species, and sequester enough carbon to offset 10-15% of our industrial carbon emissions annually.
Wood is a renewable and sustainable material that stores carbon – as living, growing trees in the forest, but also as lumber in our homes and buildings, wood in our kitchen table, and the more than 5,000 paper and packaging products we use every day. In fact, engineers are even beginning to use timber as a renewable resource for tall buildings.
By providing a continuing cycle of planting, growing, and harvesting, active forest management actually maximizes forests’ ability to clean our air, clean our water, and provide a mosaic of landscapes for wildlife.
When forest owners are confident that they will have a market for their wood when it matures, they are more likely to invest in forest health treatments that prevent disease and infestation, in regular maintenance that reduces the risk of natural disturbance like wildfire, and in replanting to grow more trees. Research shows that demand for wood products keeps markets strong, which protects working forests from conversion to other land uses, like development. Keeping forests intact means keeping forests’ economic and environmental benefits intact too.
But what about deforestation?
The reality is that it’s simply not happening in the United States. According to the USDA, from 1953 to 2011, in a time of expanding population and increasing demand for homes, paper products, and energy, the total volume of trees grown in the U.S. increased by 50%. Today, private forest owners are growing 43% more wood than they remove.
What about wildfire?
Federal, state, and private forest owners and managers have a shared stewardship responsibility to protect natural resources and the communities that depend on them. In 2023, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between NAFO and the Forest Service to enhance coordination and collaboration for initial attack on wildfires in areas of adjacent ownership. Read more>>
POLICY POSITION:To optimize forest carbon benefits, policy should focus on carbon impacts and avoid requirements that impose new regulations on the co-benefits forests provide.
WHY WE SUPPORT THIS POLICY POSITION:
Working forests are geographically diverse and provide a wide range of valuable co-benefits like clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and jobs. Nationwide one-size-fits-all approaches that place requirements on these co-benefits are ineffective and should not interfere with the ultimate goal of climate change legislation: reducing atmospheric carbon.
POLICY POSITION:NAFO supports fully funding programs that advance the contributions of forests and forest products in climate policy like the USDA Forest Inventory & Analysis (FIA) Program. The technical information provided from these programs is critical to sound climate policy and legislation.
WHY WE SUPPORT THIS POSITION:
On-the-ground measurements are more accurate and effective than imagery or modeling. Using the FIA program eliminates any bias and offers the most robust nationwide solution to accurately measure carbon in forests and forest products.
POLICY POSITION:To optimize forest carbon benefits, policy should focus on carbon impacts and avoid requirements that impose new regulations on the co-benefits forests provide.
WHY WE SUPPORT THIS POLICY POSITION:
Working forests are geographically diverse and provide a wide range of valuable co-benefits like clean air and water, wildlife habitat, and jobs. Nationwide one-size-fits-all approaches that place requirements on these co-benefits are ineffective and should not interfere with the ultimate goal of climate change legislation: reducing atmospheric carbon.
POLICY POSITION:NAFO supports policies that promote healthy and resilient forests. Healthy forests are less susceptible to threats such as pests and wildfire, and they can better adapt to a changing climate.
WHY WE SUPPORT THIS POSITION:
Climate change is already impacting our forests regardless of property lines and ownership classes. When public or private forest are unhealthy, they affect their neighbors. Active management at a landscape scale improves resilience as our climate changes and introduces new stresses on our forestland.
