The United States' 751 million acres of forests have "remained remarkably stable during the past 50 years," according to the U.S. Forest Service's 2010 National Report on Sustainable Forests that was released Thursday.
The report, the second edition since 2003, provides a comprehensive picture of current conditions and trends in the nation's forests, forest industries and forest communities, and also gives details on forest conditions as they relate to sustainability.
The report details a number of threats to U.S. forests, including fragmentation, development, destructive insects, and fire. The report also discusses how U.S. forests can be used in the fight against climate change. Currently, U.S. forests offset roughly 13 percent of the nation's industrial greenhouse gas emissions.
"In order to ensure the sustainability of America's forests in the long term, land managers need to work across jurisdictions and land-use types, viewing forested landscapes as an integrated whole, both ecologically and socially," said U.S. Forest Service chief Tom Tidwell. "The data and analysis found in this report will help to contribute to the all-lands approach to resource management supported by the U.S. Forest Service."
