Priority Issues

Wildland Fire and Forest Fuels
Annually, the South typically experiences a larger number of wildfires than any other region in the nation. Fire season in the South is year round with increased intensity in the spring and fall.

Changing Markets
While the Southern United States is the fastest growing region in the nation, it is also more rural and has a lower median income when compared to the nation as a whole. Mill closures and lost capacity threaten continued loss of jobs, place a drain on rural economies, increase poverty and create a disincentive to keep and manage timber on private lands.

Fractured Forests
Several recent studies have documented that southern forests are experiencing numerous forces of change that are reshaping their status, condition, management, biological functions and values to society. Among the forces, urbanization, large scale ownership changes and several related factors are directly or indirectly fracturing the southern forest land base into more and smaller parcels. Parcelized ownership generally fragments the forest landscape, constrains management options, adversely influences forest health and wildlife habitats, and directly and indirectly leads to forest loss.