Forestry

How does this affect me?

Forestry changes affect the following:

• The remaining hardwood forests, with a tendency to plant pines
  
  
• Landscape and air quality
  
  
• Tourism

Hardwood tree production

Currently, tropical countries, such as Africa, Asia, South America, and Central America, generally do not manage their hardwoods well. However, increasing demand for hardwoods (from China, especially), combined with stronger international control and certification will reduce the future output from these countries. This will make the better-managed oak and hickory forests of the Southeast U.S. among the most important hardwood resources in the world and therefore very valuable.

Did you know?

Currently the Southeast region provides the most hardwood tree products in the U. S.

If we manage our hardwood forests well for the future, we will benefit from a large economic return.  We are in the position to reap the benefits from sales outside of the state and from support for our own key industries, including furniture making and construction.

As we see hardwood forests decline in size internationally, North Carolina could become one of the most important global suppliers of hardwood timber. The global demand for construction, furniture, and flooring timber will turn buyers toward North Carolina and the southern U.S.

The prospect of rising prices for hardwood tree products and the fact that North Carolina is in a position to play a key role should begin to act as an incentive to protect our forests.

Landscape and air quality

We depend on woodlands to support the quality of our air and water. Large acreages of trees improve air quality by absorbing carbon dioxide in the process of growth. Trees produce oxygen, absorb air impurities, and lower surface temperature at ground level.

Woodlands also help filter water, particularly in mountain regions where tree roots slow the flow of water running off steep slopes and aid in natural water filtration.

Removing trees without examining the impact on local soils, air, and water can disrupt a delicate balance, an ecosystem where each of its parts is connected to the whole. When local governments do not monitor developers or logging actively to ensure that there is little erosion and siltation (dirt runoff) into creeks, we reduce water quality.

Replacing hardwoods with single-species pines greatly reduces the overall animal and plant diversity that exists in the ancient hardwood forests. 

Tourism

Woodlands make up a large part of the natural landscape and are becoming increasingly important in supporting outdoor recreation and tourism economies, both through the mosaic of privately-owned wooded areas and through important attractions like the Blue Ridge Parkway and National/State Forests.  

We need to sustain our valuable woodlands for the following economic reasons:

• Wood product sales
  
  
• Tourism
  
  
• Air quality
  
  
• Water quality 29. The footer links are showing Trademark and Copyright symbols incorrectly.