Forestry officials from across the United States unveiled a new web application this week that will help communities, investors and wood buyers determine the supply of available forest resources in a given area and make more informed decisions on where to locate wood-based businesses in the U.S. South.
Texas A&M Forest Service, the Southern Group of State Foresters, National Association of State Foresters and USDA Forest Service developed the Southern Timber Supply Analysis application, accessible at southerntimbersupply.com. By utilizing the web application’s maps, users can estimate the amount of timberland, standing timber, and growth and removals within a specified distance or trucking time of any site in the Southern United States. Data is updated regularly and readily shows areas that have an abundant and sustainable supply of forest resources.
“Exemplifying the power of this web tool is the recent decision by Angelina Forest Products to locate a $100 million sawmill in Lufkin, Texas,” said Texas A&M Forest Service Division Chief Operating Officer Burl Carraway. “Using our timber analysis information, they determined that the area offers an abundance of sustainable forest resources as well as a talented workforce familiar with the industry.”
Now such information is accessible across the South. Based on the Texas program, the Southern Timber Supply Analysis web application is the first of its kind in the nation, granting public access to timber supply data to anyone with access to the internet in a user-friendly format.
The digital tools are free to use, readily accessible and are able to generate reports and insights that can easily be shared. The tools can be used to proactively recruit wood-based businesses to the South, identify areas on which to focus restoration efforts, and make stronger, more informed decisions on behalf of the Southern economy.
The South accounts for over half of timber production in the United States. The region boasts more than 250 million forested acres, 87 percent of which are privately-owned, across 13 states – each with its own unique mix of wood resources, manufacturing innovations and investment opportunities.
In Texas, forestry contributes $32.5 billion in economic activity, 144,500 jobs and $8.4 billion in labor income to the state economy.
Data used in the Southern Timber Supply Analysis application is derived from Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA), a USDA Forest Service program conducted in partnership with state forestry agencies. The application is a project of the Southern Group of State Foresters. It was funded in part by the USFS and developed by Texas A&M Forest Service for the 13 southern states.
For more information on the Southern Timber Supply Analysis application and how Texas A&M Forest Service and the Southern Group of State Foresters support forest-based economic development, visit https://southernforests.org/forestry/products-environmental-services/.
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Contacts
Rebekah Zehnder, Texas A&M Forest Service, Geospatial Analyst, 979-458-6630, [email protected]
Questions? Please submit comments and questions to Southern Timber Supply Analysis Application https://texasforestinfo.tamu.edu/tsa/Contact.html
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