Working Forest Lands

Conserving Working Forest Lands (FIGURE 1b-2) The Conserving Working Forest Lands map shows areas of North Carolina that should be targeted to prevent the loss of working forestlands from development and conversion to other nonforestry uses. These lands have high values for connectivity with other forestlands, water quality protection in existing high-quality waters, habitat for wildlife, and strong markets for hardwood and softwood products. The final component in the map is development risk. With active and informed forest management, these lands can provide economic and ecosystem benefits; in the absence of involved and informed management, they are at higher risk of succumbing to development pressure. Download dataset here.