DFS Resource Assessment - Delaware Department of Agriculture

Summary – Criterion 1.
While Delaware has more forested acres now than a
century ago, forested acres are currently declining. Much
of this recent loss is due to dramatic human population
increases in Delaware, which has also produced further
forest fragmentation and parcelization. Delaware has
taken steps to protect its forestlands – approximately 27
percent (100,000 acres) of its 371,000 acres of forestland
are now protected through either public ownership or
permanent conservation easements. Nonetheless,
substantially more acres must be protected to ensure
future generations that there is a sufficient forested base to
sustain the many services and benefits Delawareans
currently enjoy.
Likewise, we must ensure that there is a mixture of forest
types. Delaware experienced significant declines in
loblolly pine in the late 20th century and a slow but steady
increase in the amount of older and larger timber. These
trends are not catastrophic but should be addressed to
maintain a balance of species composition as well as age
and size composition. This balance is necessary to ensure
that sufficient habitat is provided for the animal and plant
species that require a wide diversity of forest habitat and
cover, including threatened species and species of
concern. An estimated 37 percent of forest-dependent
plants and animals are species of concern.
federally listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service –
swamp pink (Threatened, Helonias bullata) and small
whorled pogonia (Threatened, Isotria medeoloides).
Although Delaware’s state endangered species law does
not include plants, the Delaware Natural Heritage and
Endangered Species Program maintains a list of the state’s
rare plant species. Approximately 36 percent (163 species)
of all native forest interior plants within the state are rare
with the greatest number (57 percent) occurring within
upland forests. The primary cause of decline is loss of
habitat including wetlands and upland forests.
Maintaining not only a critical mass of forestland but also
the wide range of forest types is vital for Delaware and
ties directly to two of the State and Private Forestry
(S&PF) national priorities – Conserve and Manage
Working Forest Landscapes for Multiple Values and Uses
and Enhance Public Benefits from Trees and Forests.
Conclusions: None of Delaware’s tree species are
federally endangered or threatened; however, significant
changes have occurred in Delaware’s forest types. In
addition to the loss of loblolly pine forests, there has been
a significant disappearance of baldcypress and Atlantic
white-cedar. Additionally, while there are only two
federally listed endangered animal and plant species in
Delaware – both forest dependent – there are a number of
state species of concern that require forest habitat and
further loss of forested habitat will place more species at
risk. Forest management standards should be structured to
protect critical wildlife habitat.
16 Delaware Forest Resource Assessment