Pine Plantations Continue to Spread
May 9, 2040 - In the southern US states pine plantations now cover an area of 52 million acres. This increase of 67% in the last 45 years is mainly because of the demand of paper products. Pine plantations now account for almost half of southern timber volume growth.
During this same period of 45 years, all 13 southern states have lost acreage of natural forest, a total of 25 million acres, due to the increase of pine plantation expansion and loss of forest to residential and urban uses. Florida has had the greatest loss with almost 58%, South Carolina with 35% and North Carolina with 30%. More than 270 million acres of forest have been harvested in the southern states since 1995.
The most pine plantations are found in Georgia with a total of 9.3 million acres, with Alabama as second with 7.5 million acres.
Argument: The information is from the study The Southern Timber Market to 2040 published by USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station.
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