North Carolina Forests

According to the N.C. Forest Service’s Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA) data, North Carolina has 18.8 million acres of forests that cover 61 percent of the state’s total land mass. The dominant forest type is oak-hickory (hardwoods) at 38 percent of forest cover. The second most common forest type is loblolly-shortleaf pine (softwoods) at 31 percent. Mixed stands of oak and pine represent 13 percent of North Carolina’s forests, and mixed stands of oak, gum and cypress comprise 9 percent of North Carolina’s forests. Other types of mixed-stand forests account for 9 percent of forest acreage.

	TREE IDENTIFICATION
	FOREST TYPES