Source: Land Use Projections and Forest Fragmentation Analysis
The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service conducted an extensive (by County) project, and determined land usage projections through the years 2030.
This report details the transition of land use for the next 30 years. Washington and Oregon are 2 of the 3 states in the Western US (see second image) declining in core forestry through 2030.
“Forest Fragmentation is an important cause of biodiversity loss in terrestrial ecosystems. We have developed a framework for modeling forest fragmentation at large scales and projecting changes in fragmentation under different economic and policy scenarios. Our analysis directly supports the Sustainable Wood Production Initiative and the RPA assessments, and expands efforts to define and develop protocols for sustainable forest management.”
PNWW = Western OR and Washington
PNWE= Eastern OR and Washington
The Eastern sides of Washington and Oregon are migrating from range and crop land to forestry and urban areas, while the western fronts are growing in urban areas, while decreasing in forestry, pasture and cropland.
Core forest is defined as 100 square foot grids of forest at least 100 feet from a non-forest edge.
There are projected declines in core forest in Oregon and Washington, two of the three states (the other being California) for the region (See image below). Core Forestry is projected to decline in Oregon and Washington.
