Iowa Forestry Facts
Whose woods these are I think I know….
 More than 500 species of plants and 300 species of wildlife call Iowa's forests home, including 90 species of plants and animals that are listed as threatened or endangered.
Iowa's forests are mainly hardwood or deciduous trees: 45% are upland sites with oak and hickory; 25% are upland sites with shade-tolerant sugar maple and basswood; and 25% are bottomland or flood-prone forests of silver maple, cottonwood and ash.
Then and now
The original land survey of Iowa made between 1832 and 1859 documented 6.7 million acres of forest or tree cover in the state. As land was cleared for farming and other settlement, forestland declined to 2.4 million acres by the turn of the 20th century and by 1974 was only 1.5 million acres.
According to the USDA Forest Service inventory completed in 2004, Iowa now has 2.7 million acres of forestland, representing approximately 8% of the land cover in our state. This represents an increase of close to one million acres since 1974, mainly due to changes in modern agriculture and increased forest stewardship by thousands of private landowners and government officials.
A greener environment
Iowa's forests provide clean air through photosynthesis - storing approximately 16 tons of carbon per acre and absorbing airborne particulates of dust and ash in their foliage.
Strategically placed forests and trees can reduce sedimentation — Iowa's number one water pollution problem — by as much as 85%.
Trees in our urban areas produce shade that can reduce air conditioning demands by 10% to 43%; windbreaks can reduce heat loss around the average farmstead by 5% to 15% and by as much as 40% around mobile homes.
Thank Iowa Woodland Owners for Fall Colors
As you and your family admire the fantastic autumn colors of Iowa’s oaks, maples and many other hardwood trees, take a minute to thank Iowa’s 138,000 private woodland owners. That’s right – private woodland owners in Iowa control land use decisions on over 90% of Iowa’s 2.7 million acres of forests. These private woodland owners have resisted land development speculation and the urge of land clearing for expanded crop protection because they realize the best use of their land is for trees.
About half of Iowa’s forests are on lands too steep for agricultural production and the other half are on seasonally wet floodplains. Both types of forests are vital for soil erosion control and water quality protection. These private woodlands not only provide opportunities for fall color viewing, but also are important for economic development ranging from the $1 billion in annual economic activity from the harvesting and processing of 89 million board feet of timber each year to providing critical wildlife habitat and the $1.1 billion they help contribute to hunting opportunities in Iowa’s rural areas.
The majority of Iowa’s woodland owners are Iowans between the ages of 46-75, who live within 25 miles of their forestland and have owned their forests for at least 16 years. They cherish their forests for beauty and scenery, to protect nature and biological diversity and wildlife habitat. They plant more than seven million trees each year and conduct more than 10,000 acres of forest stand improvement. Visit Iowa woodland owners [www.iowawoodlandowners.org] to learn more.
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On average, Iowans plant 8,000 acres of land to native trees and shrubs each year - you can help by planting a new tree or two (or more) on your property. For more information see the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Forestry Web page [www.iowadnr.com/forestry].
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