Southern Forests for the Future

This report by the World Resources Institute provides an overview of the forests in the southern United States, detailing their ecological value, historical decline, and the projected drivers of change affecting their future. It emphasizes the role of private landowners, who own approximately 87 percent of the forest acreage, and explores various market-based and fiscal incentives to encourage sustainable management and conservation.

• Southern forests provide significant global and local ecosystem services, including the production of 18 percent of the world's pulpwood for paper, despite representing only two percent of the global forest area. They also regulate climate by storing carbon dioxide and protect water quality and prevent erosion.
• Since the beginning of European settlement, the net extent of southern forests has decreased by an estimated 40 percent, with over 99 percent of the acreage having been cut or cleared at some point over four centuries.
• Several drivers of change are expected to impact southern forests over the next 20 to 30 years. Suburban residential and commercial development is projected to convert 19 million acres of forest between 2020 and 2040. Other threats include climate change (intensifying droughts and wildfire dangers), invasive species like Japanese stiltgrass and cogon grass, and various pests and pathogens such as the emerald ash borer and gypsy moth.
• Because approximately 87 percent of southern forest acreage is privately owned—with about two-thirds held by individuals and families—the future of these forests depends on private landowners. Potential incentives for conservation include conservation easements, cost-share programs, payments for carbon sequestration, and markets for sustainably harvested timber, though many of these measures are currently undersubscribed or lack sufficient pilot projects to scale up.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Southern Forests for the Future. https://www.wri.org/research/southern-forests-future

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Southern Forests for the Future. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/southern-forests-future.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Southern Forests for the Future |url=https://www.wri.org/research/southern-forests-future |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendsouthern, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Southern Forests for the Future}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/southern-forests-future}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }