DFS Resource Assessment - Delaware Department of Agriculture

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Currently, Delaware’s forests store approximately 21 million tons of carbon (including 1.3 million tons in urban forests). This amount is increasing because Delaware’s forests are, on average, aging and thus increasing in size. While the carbon market is still emerging in the United States, prices are expected to bring at least $3 per ton; therefore, one could argue that Delaware’s forests have currently stored at least $60 million of carbon from the atmosphere. Furthermore, forests help moderate climatic effects at the local scale. Riparian forested buffers moderate the water temperatures within streams, thus protecting fish and other species that use these waters. Urban forests reduce energy consumption by cooling urban areas in the summer (shade) and providing windbreaks during the winter. Urban trees in New Castle County save an estimated $403,000 annually in residential building energy costs, including $183,000 within the City of Wilmington. Forests also remove other pollutants that degrade our atmosphere. Studies estimate that Delaware’s 7.1 million urban trees remove over 1,700 metric tons per year of pollutants, including 242 tons of nitrous oxide, 221 tons of sulfur dioxide and 744 tons of ozone. This pollution reduction is valued at $13.5 million annually. Recreation: Forests offer a wide variety of opportunities for outdoor recreation. Of Delaware’s top nine recreational activities, at least six occur in forested settings. Over two million people in Delaware annually participate in these six activities (walking/jogging, picnicking, hiking, camping, horseback riding, hunting). There are over 540 miles of trails open to the public in Delaware, an increase of 46 percent compared to 2002. In addition, approximately 200 of these trail miles are open to horseback riding and 443 miles to mountain biking. Nearly all of these trails traverse forested areas. Forests are vital to Delaware’s recreation and tourism industries and to our quality of life. V. ISSUES, THREATS, AND OPPORTUNITIES The DFS used two processes to identify the highest priority issues, threats, and opportunities for Delaware’s forests. First, the DFS completed a comprehensive fiveyear strategic plan in 2008 through a facilitated process with 40 participants representing a variety of stakeholders, including other public (state, federal, local) agencies, landowners, nongovernmental organizations, consultant foresters, forest industry, and recreationists. Through this effort, the stakeholders identified the critical issues facing Delaware’s forests and then defined goals and objectives for the DFS to address in the next five years (2009-2013). Second, Delaware’s Forest Stewardship Committee participated in a facilitated process in 2009 to identify the issues, threats, and opportunities facing our state’s forests. Beginning with the issues from the strategic planning process, the committee identified additional issues, and then outlined specific threats and opportunities. The result was very similar to the outcomes of the strategic planning process. Lastly, once the issues, threats, and opportunities were drafted, the DFS shared them with other stakeholders through presentations/site visits and the Internet to determine if any changes were appropriate. A relatively few number of substantive edits were received; they were subsequently incorporated into the final list. Four issues were identified (Forest Health and Functionality; Forest Markets; Sustainable Forest Management; and Public Awareness and Appreciation of Forests) and below is an overview of each issue including related threats and opportunities. Appendix 1 includes a brief review of the processes and the complete list of organizations involved in this process. Issue #1: Forest Health and Functionality. A sufficient, healthy forestland base ensures the perpetual production of forest outputs (lumber, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, water quality protection, etc.). Background: Forests provide a plethora of environmental and economic benefits and it is crucial that Delaware maintain a sufficient amount of healthy forestland to perpetuate these benefits. A full representation of the various forest types (cypress swamps, pine forests, bottomland hardwoods, etc.) is needed to provide the habitat necessary for various plant and animal species. Additionally, certain forests 46 Delaware Forest Resource Assessment
provide important environmental benefits – such as water quality and quantity (wetlands, riparian buffers, groundwater recharge areas). A sufficient base of working forests is necessary to supply the timber needed to support a viable forest industry. Furthermore, strategically located afforestation (forest expansion) can provide significant environmental benefits, such as connecting large forested blocks and creating or expanding forested corridors and buffers. Urban forests also provide numerous benefits and are important to a community’s quality of life. Municipalities need to include urban forestry issues in their long-term plans. In all cases – urban and rural – healthy forests are vital to their sustainability. Landowners and foresters must work to ensure that our forests are as free from forest pests and invasive species as possible. Future efforts must address all of these factors to help ensure the long-term health and viability of Delaware’s forests and help us meet one of the national State and Private Forestry priorities – Protect Forests from Threats. THREATS: The long-term health and sustainability of Delaware’s forests are threatened by multiple issues: forest loss, fragmentation, and parcelization; invasive plants, insects, and diseases; uncontrolled populations of native species; loss of forest diversity: and, in certain areas, wildfires. Forest Loss, Fragmentation and Parcelization – Delaware’s rural and urban forests face a multitude of challenges that threaten their long-term health. While Delaware has more forestland now than in 1900, its overall forested acreage is shrinking – primarily due to development. Six percent of Delaware’s remaining unprotected forests (16,000 acres) were included in proposed developments from 2002 to 2009. While not all of these projects will occur, it is very likely that most of these forests will either disappear or will be so fragmented that they no longer provide many of the services that we now enjoy. This trend is not sustainable. Furthermore, the remaining forests are now in smaller blocks; the number of large, contiguous forested blocks (over 250 acres) is decreasing. Many riparian forests have also disappeared or been reduced significantly such that waterways are no longer buffered. This presents challenges not only for forest management but for wildlife habitat, water quality, water retention and recharge. Fragmentation not only causes forest management challenges, it also produces other effects that are less evident. For instance, it increases the amount of forest “edge,” which often leads to the introduction of invasive plants and reduces the habitat for certain interior forestdwelling species. In addition to a decrease in large, contiguous forested areas, there is also a loss of forested corridors (100 to 300 foot wide strips) that connect larger blocks of forestland. These areas provide protected travel routes for many wildlife species and are often located along waterways, thus improving water quality. Increased human population has meant more landowners and smaller forest ownerships. Today’s average forest ownership is less than 10 acres, compared to over 30 acres just three decades ago. This increasing number of forest landowners presents challenges to public agencies as they attempt to provide more assistance with fewer staff and shrinking budgets. Public managers will have to rely on new approaches and new partnerships to reach this growing landowner base. Smaller forested parcels also increase the chance for the establishment of invasive plants. Emerald ash borer Invasive species – While the overall impact of invasive species and nonnative pests in Delaware’s forests is usually unnoticed, their cumulative effect is significant and growing. Gypsy moth, Dutch elm disease, and chestnut blight are three examples of non-native species that have severely affected certain tree species within Delaware. Gypsy moth populations have decreased to virtually zero since 1996; however, their impact on oak forests in the late 1980s and early 1990s is still present today. While there are no known significant recent introductions of pests to Delaware, there are several potential threats in surrounding states that could severely impact our forests The DFS, working with the USFS, APHIS, and the DDA Plant Industries Section, continues to monitor for these potential threats including the emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, Sirex woodwasp, Sudden Oak Death, and the European pine shoot borer. Likewise, invasive plants continue to spread throughout our forests, particularly in urban areas and those on the rural/suburban fringe. Such species include multiflora rose, Norway maple, autumn olive, mile-a-minute weed, privet, Japanese stilt grass, and phragmites. Uncontrolled Native Species – In addition to invasive species, there are also native threats to our forests. An overabundance of white-tailed deer has begun to degrade Delaware’s forests – particularly hardwood forests in northern Delaware. While the Division of Fish and Wildlife has taken several steps to curb this problem, there are still portions of the state that have significant overpopulations. This situation is compounded by a decline in the number of hunters in the state. Delaware Forest Resource Assessment 47
Page 1: Delaware Forest Resource Assessment
Page 5 and 6: I. INTRODUCTION Forests have played
Page 7 and 8: overseas food shipments. Thereafter
Page 9 and 10: Acres Urban Forests: Urban forest (
Page 11 and 12: Figure 6. Stocking classes in Delaw
Page 13 and 14: Indicator 3: Extent of forestland c
Page 15 and 16: marine waters and brackish marshes,
Page 17 and 18: Table 4. Status of Native Animals i
Page 19 and 20: enefit non-breeding species that ma
Page 21 and 22: Thousands of Acres Criterion 2: Mai
Page 23 and 24: Occasionally, a wildfire within a f
Page 25 and 26: primary hosts of BLS in Delaware ar
Page 27 and 28: Criterion 4: Conservation and Maint
Page 29 and 30: sides. The other 60 percent do not
Page 31 and 32: Millions - U.S. tons Criterion 5: M
Page 33 and 34: Criterion 6: Maintenance and Enhanc
Page 35 and 36: Indicator 13: Outdoor recreational
Page 37 and 38: eceives additional federal funds fo
Page 39 and 40: Acres Figure 27. Public Ownership i
Page 41 and 42: Plantation Act and Farmland Assessm
Page 43 and 44: Table 16. New Forest Stewardship Pl
Page 45 and 46: track the percentage of elementary
Page 47 and 48: Delaware law also contains code for
Page 49: While there are very few primary wo
Page 53 and 54: markets for low-value timber. Howev
Page 55 and 56: tolandowners to help ensure the lon
Page 57 and 58: Partner with other organizations to
Page 59 and 60: State assessments are required to i
Page 61 and 62: 18. High Productivity Soils Soil an
Page 63 and 64: A map was then created to display t
Page 65 and 66: arrived. Great majestic forests onc
Page 67 and 68: Two unique communities found in the
Page 69 and 70: B. Input layers The data for the ur
Page 71 and 72: Figure 35. Urban Priority Areas by
Page 73 and 74: The majority of the population reli
Page 75 and 76: Delmarva Peninsula & Mid-Atlantic C
Page 77 and 78: forest priority area includes the m
Page 79 and 80: Roxbury, NY and flows southward tow
Page 81 and 82: IX. FOREST ASSESSMENT SUMMARY X. AP
Page 83: Public Review - Lastly, the DFS pro

DFS Resource Assessment - Delaware Department of Agriculture

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