NCRS - The Changing Midwest Assessment

There are approximately 76 million acres of forest in the seven states that comprise the North Central Region. Of these, 72.8 million acres are classified as timberland. Timberland is defined as forested land that is producing - or is capable of producing - at least 20 cubic feet of industrial roundwood products per acre per year under natural conditions. Further, the utilization of timber is not restricted by statute or administrative rule. In other words, these are the lands that supply the wood products that we use every day.

This slide show consists of a series of maps that depict changes in the amount of timberland in private ownership. These maps were produced using data retrieved from the Forest Inventory and Analysis data base.