Trends for private, forested tracts in Southern Illinois

Excerpt

Action taken by private landowners will largely determine the future supply of wood and other values from Illinois' forests. More than 90 percent of forest land in the state can be found in tracts owned by people who are not primarily concerned with growing timber. Yet, their woodlots provide 96 percent of Illinois' total timber harvest.

Understanding private forest landowners and their problems are essential to encourage increased forest production and stewardship. The owners of large forested tracts were selected for study because they have been found to be most apt to initiate and follow recommended forest practices.

Surveys of forested tracts containing 100 or more acres in the southern 16 counties of Illinois, the most heavily forested in the state, were conducted in 1977, 1985, and 1991. All known owners (approximately 515 in 1991) were sent questionnaires. Data were obtained from 180, 304, and 231 owners in 1977, 1985 and 1991, respectively. Forests cover 30 percent of the region's one million acres of commercial forest land. The total forested acreage in Southern Illinois represented by the study tracts in 1991 is estimated at 140,000 acres or 13.3 percent of all commercial forested acreage …