Virginia's Forests, 2021

Abstract

As in the previous reports on the status of Virginia’s forests, forest land and timberland acreage remains stable. We continue to see a gradual increase in the proportion of stands comprised of larger trees, and with that, more wood volume than previously and a greater percentage of that volume in is sawtimber-sized trees. Hardwood average annualized growth had been increasing during the previous three periods of annualized forest inventory but now shows little change since 2016. Softwood growth, however, continues to increase. Removals in both softwood and hardwood species groups have begun to increase after a period of decline, with annualized removals of softwoods now exceeding that observed in 2007. While the number of wood processing mills has fluctuated (particularly for hardwood sawmills), Virginia’s forests support a forest products industry that includes a diverse mix of mills, ranging from small- to large-sized softwood and hardwood sawmills, pole, veneer, composite, bioenergy, and other miscellaneous mills to very large pulpmills. Since the 2007 inventory, natural mortality has remained consistently low and relatively unchanging in softwoods but hardwood mortality shows a gradual increase. The increase in hardwood mortality is important to note. Insect damage was the predominate disturbance impacting Virginia’s forests from 2017 to 2021, with insects and diseases affecting American beech, eastern white pine, elm, sassafras, and redbay in particular.

Citation

Brandeis, T.J.; Hartsell, A.J.; Randolph, K.C.; Durham, W.P.; Oswalt, C.M. 2024. Virginia's Forests, 2021. Resource Bulletin SRS-240. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 136 p.