Forest Resources

We use the latest methods of data analysis and forest resource information to create decision-making products for landowners, researchers, and public officials. These products are especially useful after natural disasters.

Resource analysis also informs forest management and economic development by using the latest information gathered from several of our programs including:

Discover Texas forests

Find easy-to-use tools, helpful resources, and expert tips to explore, manage, and protect Texas forests.

Texas Forest Information Portal (external link)

Damage assessments

We use field observations, forest inventory, and remote sensing to conduct tree damage assessments in communities and rural forests after natural disasters. Reports are used to estimate economic loss and facilitate recovery efforts. Recent examples are:

• Disaster Damage Assessments

Frequently asked questions

What services do resource analysis provide?

There are several analyses that we conduct on a regular and ongoing basis. Harvest Trends, where we annually estimate industrial timber harvest and production of wood products, is one example.  

Other analyses arise because of events like hurricanes, fire, or drought. These analyses are driven by the basic need to understand impacts on forest resources. In the case of hurricanes and large fires, we conduct rapid damage assessments to estimate the area, number, volume, biomass, debris and/or value of forest resources impacted within a few days of the event. 

What is the difference between resource analysis and forest inventory and analysis?

The Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program is primarily concerned with the field part of the inventory. They measure trees in the field and process the data.  

Resource analysis is focused on turning the data collected in the field into useful information – estimating numbers, area, volume, biomass, growth, mortality, and removal.  

FIA data are central to nearly all resource analyses that we prepare. 

How many trees were killed by the 2011 Texas drought?

We estimated that 301 million trees died on forestland in Texas. We measured tree mortality at hundreds of locations and combined this data with satellite imagery to estimate mortality across the state. Through FIA we estimate there were approximately 4.9 billion trees prior to the drought, so about 1 in 16 trees died because of the drought. 

What is the timber supply situation within 75 miles of a specified location?

Our online tool Timber Supply Analysis was build to answer this question.  

The tool allows the user to input a location and specify a 50-, 75-, and 100-radius. A report specifying forest area, volume, and growth/drain is then prepared and available for viewing and downloading. 

Additional resources 

US Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis 

FIA reports on status and trends in forest area and location. In the species, size, and health of trees. In total tree growth, mortality, and removals by harvest. In wood production and utilization rates by various products. And in forest land ownership.  

Forest Inventory and Analysis EVALIDator 

The EVALIDator can produce estimates of growth, removals, and mortality for individual inventories.  

TreeSearch 

Your one-stop site for Research & Development Publications online.  

US Forest Service Southern Research Station 

The Southern Research Station is part of the Nation’s largest forestry research organization—USDA Forest Service Research and Development—the leading organization for research on natural resource management and sustainability in the United States.  

Southern Forest Futures Project 

The project is a multi-year research effort that forecasts changes in southern forests between 2010 and 2060.  

East Texas Pine Plantation Research Project 

A long-term, comprehensive research program investigating the factors affecting the management of loblolly and slash pine plantations in East Texas.  

PINEMAP 

Focuses on the 20 million acres of planted pine forests managed by private landowners in the Atlantic and Gulf coastal states from Virginia to Texas, plus Arkansas and Oklahoma.  

ForWarn: Satellite-Based Change Recognition and Tracking 

Provides near-real-time tracking of vegetation changes across landscapes in the U.S. Useful for both monitoring disturbance events as well as year-to-year variability. Derived products can also be used to develop insights into seasonal and inter-annual dynamics. 

Climate Change Atlas 

Documents the current and possible future distribution of 134 tree species and 147 bird species in the Eastern U.S. and gives detailed information on environmental characteristics defining these distributions.  

Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Imagery Support 

A cooperative effort between the USDA Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Center and the U.S. Geological Survey Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science. The Centers provide rapid delivery of satellite imagery, Burned Area Reflectance Classifications, and other geospatial data to Forest Service and DOI BAER teams, respectively. 

Mapping the Severity of Springs Fire from Space 

Space mapping of the explosive wildfire ignited in southern California near Camarillo in 2013.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity 

A multi-year project designed to consistently map the burn severity and perimeters of fires across all lands of the U.S. from 1984 and beyond.  

Landsat 

Landsat represents the worlds longest continuously acquired collection of space-based moderate-resolution land remote sensing data. 

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