Please note: The Southern Forests for the Future project was concluded in 2012, but our resources remain available online. If you have any questions, please contact James Anderson, Communications Officer for the Forests Team.
The forests of the southern United States constitute 29% of forestland in the country, are a valuable national and global resource. Covering over 200 million acres, these forests are some of the most biologically diverse temperate forests in the world, and provide people with a wide range of ecosystem services. However, these forests are threatened on many fronts, from suburban sprawl to mining and resource extraction.
Through the Southern Forests for the Future project, WRI provides data and resources to catalyze sustainable stewardship southern U.S. forests. To increase awareness of the value of southern forests and the threats they face, WRI has created multimedia resources that show trends and changes in southern forests as well as ways to protect them. To learn more about this work and to access these resources, visit the Southern Forests for the Future website.