Can You See the Forest for the Trees?

Ed Weilbacher, Coordinator
USDA NRCS and SWI RC&D
 What does this area mean to you?
to the county?
to the region?
• Place to hunt
to the public?
• Timber • Wasteland
• Forest • Floodplain
• Trees • Wetland
• Woodland • Riparian Buffer
• Place to hunt • Scenic Views
• Firewood • Clear Air
• Mushroom Hunting • Clean Water
 Illinois Forest Area Facts

• Total land area in Illinois - 35.6 million acres

• Forestland prior to European settlement - 13.8
million acres (40 percent)
• Forestland today - 4.4 million acres (12 percent)
• Most of the original forests were cleared for
agriculture, fuelwood, fence posts,
transportation, and urban and industrial
development
• Illinois ranks 49th among states in percent of
land remaining in original vegetation
• Illinois grows some of the
finest hardwoods in the
nation, such as:
– black walnut
– red oak, white oak
– yellow poplar
– Ash
– Hickory
– hard maple, and soft maple
• 97% of Illinois’ forests
hardwoods; 3% conifers
• Principal forest cover types:
– Oak-Hickory (53 %)
– Elm-Ash-Cottonwood (22 %)
– Maple-Beech (20 %)
– Misc. Pine (3 %)
– Oak-Gum-Cypress (2 %)
• Average growth exceeds
forest removals by 160 %
Limited Government Ownership

• Shawnee National Forest ~ 293,000 ac.

• Six State Forests ~ 19,309 ac.
• IDNR operates two state nurseries:
– Mason State Nursery in Topeka
– Union County State Nursery in Jonesboro
 Private Forest Ownership Facts
• 170,000 private forest landowners
• 82% of Illinois’ forests owned by private individuals
• 7% of Illinois’ forests owned by private corporations
• Illinois (4.4 million acres) has more nonindustrial
private forestland than Idaho (2.1 million acres),
Wyoming (1.6 million acres), or Washington (3.2
million acres)
• 83% percent of forest landowners have never
received professional forestry assistance
• Over 90% of forest landowners sell their timber
without professional forestry assistance
• 1,107 Certified American Tree Farmers in Illinois
• Over 95,000 acres enrolled in the Tree Farm program
Majority of the Forest Tracts
Are Less Than 10 acres
Forests • 75% of Illinois’ native wildlife species
Support require forest habitat for a portion of
their lifecycle
• Illinois forests provide habitat for more
than 420 vertebrate species
• Over 120 bird species utilize Illinois
forests for nesting
• Over 3.4 million Illinoisans observe,
feed, and photograph wildlife worth an
estimated $620 million annually to the
states economy
• More than $550 million is spent on
recreational fishing each year
• Hunters spend $150 million a year
pursuing game
 History and Time
Issues and Concerns
• Forest cleared for • Residential Use
cropland • Fragmentation
• Federal Tax Law and • Invasives
Farm Programs • Species change
encouraged
forestland loss • Flood pulse changes
• Floodplains and steep • Ownership/Education
slopes remaining • Management Options
forests • Real Estate Tax
• Sodbuster -
Swampbuster
Fragmentation &
Large Forests
 Fragmentation

Loss occurs over time with little understanding of long term impact
Impacts and Mitigation
 Edge
edge and interior

Interior
 500 ac forested
500 Acre Forest Block
Forest Interior Birds
Forest Management Needed
So what does this area mean to you?
to the county?
to the region?
• Place to hunt
to the public?

• How do we maintain/expand the forest corridor?

• What programs and incentives are needed to provide
income to the landowner?
• How will the next generation maintain the legacy and
values of the forest corridor?
• How do we manage the corridor to maintain and
improve the health of the system?
 SWI RC&D Here to Assist
• Provide the information to make informed
decisions
• Promote or create Cost-share and
incentives to offset costs
• Partner with landowners to maintain family
legacy
• Work with the County and Landowners to
maintain, improve and protect the forest
corridor
 Ed Weilbacher,
Coordinator
USDA NRCS
assisting
Southwestern Illinois
Resource
Conservation and
Development

406 E. Main St.

Mascoutah, IL 62258
618 566-4451
ed.weilbacher@il.usda.gov