DFS Resource Assessment - Delaware Department of Agriculture

Figure 10. Forestland by Population Density Class,
1999.
Source: U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis.
Delaware’s 2002 population was 806,105, so the average
population per square mile statewide is slightly more than
400 people. This compares to a population of 666,168 in
1990 – a 21 percent increase in only 12 years.
Furthermore, Delaware’s population is becoming less
concentrated within municipalities and is spreading across
the landscape. In 1920, 49 percent of Delaware’s
population lived within Wilmington, its largest city; today,
only 9 percent of our population calls Wilmington home.
A study by the American Farmland Trust (AFT) found
that between 1984 and 2002, 118,000 acres of farms and
forests were consumed by 96,000 residential housing units
(1.23 acres per house) – nearly equal to all of the acres
consumed in the previous 300 years. Prior to 1984, the
state’s 260,000 housing units consumed 125,000 acres of
land (0.48 acres/house). Thus, Delaware’s population is
not only increasing but also using more land for each new
house. This trend is unsustainable.
Currently, urban areas have displaced approximately 13
percent of Delaware’s forests. A recent study estimated
that by 2050, 43 percent of Delaware’s forestland will
have been subsumed by urban growth. In other words, in
the year 2050, almost half of Delaware’s former forests
will lie within the limits of new urban areas. Only four
other states are expected to experience a greater degree of
absorption of forest into expanding urban areas (Source:
Nowak et al, 2005. The Increasing Influence of Urban
Environments on US Forest Management. Journal of
Forestry, December 2005).
Urban Forests:
As expected, as the amount of rural forestland decreases
and fragments, Delaware’s urban forest area is increasing.
While there is no accurate data of the past amounts of
urban forests, using GIS analysis of aerial photographs,
the DFS estimates that there are nearly 40,000 acres of
urban forests located within Delaware’s 57 incorporated
municipalities and other urbanized areas designated by the
2000 Census. The total land area within these urbanized
areas totals 234,000 acres, thus Delaware’s urban forest
canopy coverage is just under 17 percent.
Conclusions: While Delaware has more forestland now
than it did a century ago, the loss of forestland has
increased significantly in the past 20 years, primarily due
to development. This loss of forestland has also produced
increased fragmentation and an increasing urban forest
component. Furthermore, the average woodland parcel
size is less than 10 acres – an all-time low – and, on
average, new houses are using an increasing amount of
land. While the recent economic downturn and resulting
depressed real estate market have slowed these trends,
they are likely to continue in the foreseeable future. These
changes present both environmental and economic
challenges.
Indicator 4: Status of forest/woodland communities
and species of concern.
Introduction: Forests provide habitat (shelter, food,
etc.) for numerous animal species and are home to a
wide variety of plant species. Some rare plants are
found only in specific types of forest, and some rare
animals require certain forest habitat for their
survival. Protecting and conserving the wide range of
forests native to Delaware is vital for the survival of
many plant and animal species – both rare and
common. Recognizing and understanding the rare,
threatened, and endangered species of plants and
animals found in our forests is the first step in their
conservation.
Delaware Wildlife Action Plan:
The Delaware Wildlife Action Plan (“Plan”), completed
in 2006 [see Appendix 2-8] represents the state’s first
attempt to develop a comprehensive strategy for
conserving the full array of native wildlife and habitats –
common and uncommon – as vital components of the
state’s natural resources. It is intended not only to be
comprehensive in terms of the species, habitats, issues and
actions it addresses, but also comprehensive in terms of
those responsible for implementation. Though the
Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife (DNREC) plays a
lead role in its continued development and in coordinating
implementation, the Plan is intended for all who are
actively engaged in conservation efforts. Together with
conservation partners, the aim of the Plan is to keep
species common, and prevent species from being listed as
endangered.
Despite its small size Delaware harbors a diversity
of wildlife and habitats within its borders from the
Atlantic Ocean coastline to the Piedmont border with
Pennsylvania. More than 1,000 species of wildlife have
been documented in the state, and more than 125 different
types of habitat have been identified including coastal
10 Delaware Forest Resource Assessment