Ohio Forests 2016

Abstract

This report constitutes the third full report of annualized inventory on Ohio forest land and summarizes field data collected from 2011 through 2016. Ohio has 8.0 million acres of forest land containing 103 tree species and 50 forest types. Net cubic-foot and sawtimber volumes continued to increase, as did the area occupied by large diameter stands. Growing-stock volume remained stable overall, though it decreased 3 percent on private land since 2006. The net-growth-to-harvest-removals ratio dropped from 2.3:1 in 2011 to 1.6:1 in 2016. Invasive insects have had a substantial impact on Ohio's forests, particularly for ash species. Additional information on land-use change, fragmentation, ownership, forest composition, structure, age, carbon stocks, regeneration, invasive plants, insect pests, and the possible future of Ohio's forests is also presented. Sets of supplemental tables are available online at https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-RB-118 and contain: 1) tables that summarize quality assurance and 2) a core set of tabular estimates for a variety of forest resources.Cover: Vinton County scene. Photo by Ohio Department of Natural Resources, used with permission. ForewordThe forests of Ohio are critically important to the ecology and economy of the State, and to the health of its people. They are incredibly biodiverse, providing habitat for hundreds of species of plants and terrestrial wildlife. These areas also provide many recreational opportunities, improve water and air quality, and serve as a natural retreat for people, benefiting mental and physical health. The forests of Ohio also support a thriving forest products industry, which contributed over $26 billion to the State's economy and employed 122,000 people in 2015. Forests are clearly important for Ohio, and the data generated by the USDA Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis program provide the basis for understanding how they are changing and how we can sustain them for future generations.This and previous reports show that the proportion of Ohio in forest cover has remained at 30 percent since 1991, after increasing steadily since the low point of about 10 percent forest cover in 1910. Eighty-five percent of the forest land in Ohio is privately owned, meaning private landowners are critical to the continued health of our forests. While only 12 percent of landowners owning 10 or more acres have management plans for their forests and fewer than 20 percent have received forest management advice, these figures have improved significantly from previous reports. Additional encouraging findings from this report include the increase in the area of mature forests containing large trees and improvement in the quality of sawtimber.While Ohio's forests provide us with a wealth of ecological and economic services, they are faced with some key challenges, including fragmentation, reduced oak regeneration, and invasive species. New home production is increasing at a rate 4.5 times that of the population growth. Much of this construction is encroaching on forest...

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