Of the 62 million acres of land in Oregon, some 28 million acres - or 45 percent - are classified as forestland. Over the past four centuries, the amount of forestland in the state has remained fairly constant, with about 8 percent having been lost to human development - agriculture, urban growth, highways, electric transmission lines and other infrastructure - since Europeans first visited the Northwest. The federal government owns 57 percent of Oregon's forestland.

Who Owns Oregon's Forests?

1. Federal government (Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and the Department of Fish and Wildlife) (57%)
2. Large, commercial landowners (22%)
3. Non-industrial private landowners (16%)
4. State, counties and municipalities (4%)
5. Native American tribes (1%)

Total Forestland in Oregon

Oregon is about 45 percentforestland (28 million acres). About 55 percent (34 million acres) of Oregon is non-forested. The Oregon Department of Forestry defines forestland as at least 10 percent covered with live trees or formerly having such cover and not currently developed for non-forest use.

Is Oregon Losing Forestland?

There is nearly the same amount of forestland in Oregon today as four centuries ago. The loss - about 8 percent - has been for human use. Agriculture, the creation of cities and towns, industrial development, highways and electric transmission lines have contributed to the conversion of forestland for human needs. Of the 30 million acres of forestland present in Oregon in the 1630s, about 2.5 million acres have been converted to non-forest use. Today, Oregon's landmark land-use laws are helping to keep the state's forestland intact while in many other states forests are often converted to non-forest uses.