Indicator 6.39: area and percent of forests used for subsistence, 2013-2023

Abstract

This indicator reports the area and percentage of U.S. forests that are used for subsistence activities. In the United States, subsistence rights are codified through Federal laws, State constitutions, and Federal treaties with Tribal Nations and Canada. These bodies of legislation protect subsistence rights in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest (States of Washington and Oregon), Hawaii, and the Great Lakes region (States of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan), which are the focus of this analysis. More specifically, Alaska and Hawaii are the only States to codify in their constitutions the rights of residents, Indigenous or not, to participate in subsistence activities. In all States in the United States, permits are allocated at the State level for hunting and fishing, although exact locations and quantities of harvest are difficult to measure, and these activities may be for recreation, subsistence, or other purposes.

Citation

Thompson, Michelle J.; Chizmar, Stehpanie J.; Bruck, Sonia R.; Henderson, Jesse D.; Frey, Gregory E. 2026. Indicator 6.39: area and percent of forests used for subsistence, 2013-2023. FS-Indicator-6.39-2030. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 7 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/FS-Indicator-6.39-2030.