Abstract
This report presents a summary of the most recent Forest Inventory and Analysis summary of Montana’s forests based on field data collected between 2006 and 2015. The report includes descriptive highlights and tables of area, numbers of trees, biomass, volume, growth, and mortality, as well as an industry report. Most sections and tables are organized by forest type or forest-type group, tree species group, diameter class, or owner group. Results show that Montana’s forest land covers 25.9 million acres, of which 7 million acres (27 percent) are privately owned, and 15.5 million acres (60 percent) are administered by the USDA Forest Service. The State’s most abundant forest type is Douglas-fir, which covers more than 7.5 million acres. Lodgepole pine is the most abundant tree species by number of trees 5.0 inches or greater in diameter, and Douglas-fir is the most abundant by volume and biomass. Montana’s forests contain 42 billion cubic feet of net volume in trees 5.0 inches diameter and larger. Montana had a negative mean annual net growth of all live trees 5.0 inches diameter at-54 million cubic feet per year over the report’s evaluation period (2006–2015).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-102 |
| Number of pages | 102 |
| Journal | USDA Forest Service - Resource Bulletin RMRS-RB |
| Volume | 2019 |
| Issue number | RMRS-RB-30 |
| State | Published - 2019 |
Funding
We extend special thanks to private landowners and tribal councils who graciously allowed our crews to access field plots located on their lands; and to the dedicated field staff who worked hard to collect high quality data. The Rocky Mountain Research Station gratefully acknowledges the invaluable cooperation and assistance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture; the U.S. Department of Energy; the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks; the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation; the Bureaus of Land Management and Indian Affairs; the National Park Service; and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Forest Inventory and Analysis program would also like to thank the Native American tribes that cooperated and assisted in gathering data on their lands. These tribes include the Confederated Salish and Kootenai, Assiniboine and Sioux, Blackfeet, Chippewa-Cree, Crow, Fort Belknap, Northern Cheyenne, and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. Finally, we are very grateful for the insightful comments provided by the reviewers of this document.
| Funders |
|---|
| Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation |
Keywords
- FIA
- Forest inventory
- Montana
- Resources
- Timber
