Retaining North Carolina’s Working Forests

In North Carolina, forestry is a major economic driver, employing an estimated 80,000 people and adding nearly $5 billion to the State’s gross domestic product. The 33 counties in the eastern part of the state are among the most productive timberlands in the world, but forestry is only part of the story. Working forests here protect vital watersheds, harbor threatened and endangered species, and provide “operating space” for nearby military bases such as the Marine’s Camp Lejeune. This convergence of benefits creates a powerful constituency to help keep these working forests working. A new report from the Open Space Institute, funded in part by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (the Endowment) as a product of the Partnership for Southern Forestland Conservation , highlights the challenges—and opportunities—for conserving forests in this part of the state.

The report, Retaining Working Forests: Eastern North Carolina, includes impressive and detailed maps that illustrate the area’s major private lands, protected lands, watersheds, and other features. This makes it easy to visualize how these holdings might be woven together to create a network of lands that meet the needs of constituencies that value them. As is the case in many areas, these forestlands face threats, including fragmentation and development. The USDA Forest Service Southern Forest Futures report speculates that up to 344,000 acres of forest could be lost in this region by 2060, with some counties losing as much as a quarter of their forests. High taxes are another concern.