There are Trees in Oklahoma!
Craig R. McKinley
Professor and Extension Forestry Specialist
Printed in The Cedar Leader Jul-Sep 2007
As a native Oklahoman and individual who has made forestry a career,
I have often had the opportunity to discuss the forest lands of
Oklahoma, However, the listeners’ first response is commonly, “You
mean there are trees in Oklahoma?”.
Yes, there are trees in Oklahoma, and quite a few at that. Of the
state’s total area of 44 million acres, some 8.5 million acres,
almost 20 percent, are classified as forest land. Of the 8.5 million
acres, about 6.3 million acres are classified as timberland, meaning
they are capable of growing at least 20 cubic feet of wood per acre
per year.
Certainly, the entire state is not all forested, and that in itself
is one of the reasons that the state’s forest resource is often
understated. A close examination of the resource quickly reveals
that almost two-thirds of the forest land (5.4 million acres) is in
eastern Oklahoma. Likewise, nearly three-fourths of the timberland
is in eastern Oklahoma. A major contributing factor to tree survival
and growth is that of annual rainfall, and the highest amounts in
Oklahoma occur in the eastern and southeastern parts of the state.
Major tree species adapted to that environment include shortleaf
pine, loblolly pine, white and red oaks, hickories, elms, and
numerous other species.
In central and western Oklahoma, the post oak-blackjack oak forest
type is most prevalent, followed by eastern redcedar. According to a
US Forest Service Bulletin, a total of almost 100 million acres of
redcedar existed in these parts of the state in 1993.
Who owns this forest land? It may be a surprise to many, but almost
80 percent is owned by non-industrial private landowners. And
according to the US Forest Service, almost 80 percent of the
non-industrial private sector own less than 50 acres. Other forest
land owners include industry (11 percent), federal lands (5 percent)
and state owned lands (1 percent). The remaining forest land is
owned by a variety of different entities.
A comprehensive study of the Oklahoma forest resource by Dr. David
Lewis (NREM) indicated that the value of harvested timber represents
the third largest agricultural crop in the state. The study also
showed that timber-based manufacturing is about two percent of
manufacturing’s total contribution to the Gross State Product.
While direct economic impacts are important, Dr. Lewis also noted
that Oklahoma’s forest ecosystems contribute substantial value in
the form of forage, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, water
quality, climate regulation and pollution abatement. Most
importantly, his study indicated that the current levels of growth
and removal are sustainable.
So not only does Oklahoma have a significant forest resource, but we
can also anticipate having it for a long time.
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