Recent areal changes in US forested wetlands

This study summarizes US Forest Service Resource Bulletin data to estimate forested wetlands areal changes. The Forest Resource Bulletins used field-data surveys to estimate the area of different forest land plant associations, including those that are typically defined as forested wetlands. The information includes changes since 1940 on national and state levels. These figures may help judge the success of some recent efforts by private and public agencies to protect wetlands.Forested wetland area decreased by about 3 million ha from 1960 to 1990. The percentage of forested wetlands lost (13%) was greater than for forest land (7%) for the past three decades. In the 1980s, Louisiana and North Carolina experienced the greatest losses (178,000 ha and 203,000 ha, respectively). In the same period, Maine, Montana, and South Carolina experienced the largest increases. The area of forested wetlands in the United States decreased over 700,000 ha (0.3%/yr) between 1980 and 1990.Corresponding Editor: R.E. Turner