The second full annual inventory of South Dakota's forests reports 1.88 million acres of forest land with an average volume more than 1,200 cubic feet per acre for all live trees. Forest land is dominated by the ponderosa pine forest type, which occupies 60 percent of the forest land area. Sixty-three percent of the forest land consists of large diameter stands, 15 percent medium diameter stands, 15 percent small diameter stands, and 7 percent is nonstocked. The average annual net growth of live trees on forest land from 2006 to 2010 is 40.2 million cubic feet per year while average annual removal is 25.8 million cubic feet per year. This report includes additional information on forest attributes, land use change, carbon, timber products, and forest health. Detailed information on forest inventory methods, data quality estimates, tables, and raw data can be found in the Statistics, Methods, and Quality Assurance section found on the DVD on the inside back cover of this report.
AcknowledgmentsThe authors thank the individuals who contributed both to the inventory and analysis of South Dakota's forest resources. Staff with key responsibility for data management, processing, and estimation included Carol Alerich,
Manuscript received for publication November 2012Printed on recycled paper