Forest Resource Information

An Overview of Virginia’s Forest Resources

Forestland Area

  • Virginia has approximately 16 million acres of forestland.
  • The acreage fluctuates in response to forestland being converted to other land uses, while some idle lands revert back to forest.

Forest Ownership

  • More than 80% of Virginia’s forestland is privately owned by individuals, families, and corporations.
  • 60% of the forestland is held by more than 500,000 individuals or families.
  • The largest single forestland owner in Virginia is the USDA Forest Service – George Washington and Jefferson National Forests at a combined 1.7 million acres.
  • Only 1% of the forestland is owned by forest industry, as compared with 10% in the early 1990s.
  • Forest Composition – The forests of Virginia are among the most diverse in the country.
  • Learn more about forest composition in Virginia, such as forest types, stand size, volumes, top 10 tree species.

Sustainability – Growth/Drain Ratios

Growth/drain ratios are a common way to assess sustainability – a close look at the growth of forests versus the removal of forests.

  • Ratios greater than 1:1 indicate forest volumes are growing at a faster rate than being removed.
  • Growth volume is impacted by loss from storms, insects, disease, etc., as well as natural growth.
  • Drain volume is impacted by volume removed by timber harvests and land conversion to other uses.
  • Growth/drain ratios are less precise with small areas or small populations.

Additional Resources

  • Learn more about the status of the forests in Virginia and read forest inventory analysis reports.
  • View the USDA Forest Service online application EVALIDator to query forest attributed across the United States, including Virginia.
  • Learn about the Southern Timber Supply Analysis – an online application to provide a summary of the forest resources around a selected radius from a geographic point – used to estimate available timber for an area.
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