Deforestation in the United States is an ongoing process in the United States. Like Deforestation in the rest of the world, it is a complex environmental issue caused by both social and economic pressures. Prior to the arrival of European-Americans, about one half of the United States land area was forest, about estimated in 1630. Recently, the Forest Service reported total forestation as in 2012. The majority of deforestation took place prior to 1910 with the Forest Service reporting the minimum forestation as around 1920. The forest resources of the United States have remained relatively constant through the 20th century. A 2017 study estimated 3 percent loss of forest between 1992-2001. The 2005 Food and Agriculture OrganizationGlobal Forest Resources Assessment ranked the United States as seventh highest country losing its old growth forests, a vast majority of which were removed prior to the 20th century.
For the 300 years following the arrival of Europeans, land was cleared, mostly for agriculture, at a rate that matched that of population growth. For every person added to the population, one to two hectares of land was cultivated. This trend continued until the 1920s when the amount of crop land stabilized in spite of continued population growth. As abandoned farm land reverted to forest the amount of forest land increased reaching a peak in 1963 of. After 1963 there was a gradual decrease through the next few decades which has been reversed with recovery and slight gains in the early 21st century. Gains in forest land have resulted from conversions from crop land and pastures at a higher rate than loss of forest to development. Because urban development is expected to continue, an estimated of forest land is projected be lost by 2050, a 3% reduction from 1997. Other qualitative issues have been identified such as the continued loss of old-growth forest, the increased fragmentation of forest lands, and the increased urbanization of forest land.
Current issues
Deforestation in the United States is affected by many factors. One such factor is the effect, whether positive or negative, that the logging industry has on forests in the country. Logging in the United States is a hotly debated topic as groups who either support or oppose logging argue over its benefits and negative effects. "This industry comprises the establishments primarily engaged in one or more of the following: cutting timber; cutting and transporting timber; producing wood chips in the field,” the definition provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "The United States is the second leading producer and consumer of forest products and accounts for about one-fourth of the world’s production and consumption. The United States is also the world’s second-largest producer of softwood and hardwood lumber. In 1996, total annual sales for commercial timber and nontimber forest products was approximately $3.8 billion." The biggest issue thought to be facing deforestation in the United States is illegal logging in forests although facts prove otherwise from habitat and forest cover loss annually to catastrophic fire. More than 83 million acres have been lost to wildfire from 2005 to date. The United States Forest Service states that illegal logging is the biggest problem with deforestation because it is nearly impossible to monitor and stop. It goes on throughout the U.S. and other countries and often happens when companies disregard their permits and go beyond what they are allowed to harvest. The Forest Service and EPA work together to make sure that the permits for logging companies in the United States are granted in such a way that the forests are kept healthy and sustainable, and illegal logging reduces the chances that forests will be kept this way. The United States Forest Service is in favor of logging to a certain extent but there are several groups that oppose logging in the United States. Groups such as EarthRoots.org state that logging in the United States and specifically in industrial areas has led to deforestation and near extinction of many animals.
