Forests of the United States

Tongass National Forest, Alaska
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It has been estimated that before European settlement, forests in the United States mainland covered nearly 1 billion acres (4,000,000 km2).[1] Since the mid-1600s, about 300 million acres (1,200,000 km2) of forest have been cleared, primarily for agriculture during the 19th century. [1]

As of 2016, roughly 36.21% (about one-third of the U.S.) is forested.[2] Excluding the U.S. territories, forested land in the U.S. covers roughly 818,814,000 acres (3,313,622 square kilometers).[2] As of 2005, the United States ranked seventh in the rate of loss of its old growth forests.[3]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference na was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b https://www.fs.fed.us/sites/default/files/fs_media/fs_document/publication-15817-usda-forest-service-fia-annual-report-508.pdf
    USDA - Forest Inventory And Analysis Fiscal Year 2016 Business Report. Page 71-72 (Page 79-80 of PDF). Table B-11. Land and forest area and FIA annualized implementation status by State and region, FY 2016. Data for territories: Table B-10. Status of FIA special project areas excluded from annualized inventory. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  3. ^ "Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005". UN Food and Agriculture Organization. 2005.