Land Areas Reports
The National Forest System includes 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands, covering more than 193 million acres across 44 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Each year, the Forest Service verifies and reports the official acreage of these lands and various special designations. This information is published in the Land Areas of the National Forest System report.
Acreage can change from year to year due to land purchases or conveyances, updated surveys, and improvements in acreage calculation methods.
The report is available in several formats, including a full book, individual tables, and, in recent years, an Excel spreadsheet for easier analysis. Current and past reports—dating back to 1904, when there were only 62 forest reserves totaling 63 million acres—are publicly available online. Over time, the format has evolved with changes in technology and reporting methods.
How to Read the Land Reports
The following are descriptions that can help you become familiar with the terms and content of the reports. Although report content has evolved over the last 121 years, most recent reports include a fully complied book, and all tables as individual documents. The individual tables are named as:
Table 1 - National and Regional Areas Summary
Table 2 - Regional Areas Summary
Table 3 - Areas by Region
Table 4 - Areas by State
Table 5 - Areas in Multiple States
Table 6 - NFS Acreage by State, Congressional District and County
Table 7 - National Wilderness Areas by State
Table 8 - National Wilderness Areas in Multiple States
Table 9 - National Wilderness State Acreage Summary
Table 10 - National Primitive Areas by State
Table 11 - National Scenic Research Areas by State
Table 12 -National Scenic Areas by State
Table 13 - National Wild and Scenic Rivers by State
Table 14 - National Wild and Scenic Rivers in Multiple States
Table 15 - National Recreation Areas by State
Table 16 - National Recreation Areas in Multiple States
Table 17 - National Game Refuges and Wildlife Preserves by State
Table 18 - National Monument Areas by State
Table 19 - National Volcanic Monument Areas by State
Table 20 - National Historic Areas by State
Table 21 - National Forest Lands - Annual Acreage
Table 22 - National Protection Areas by State
Table 23 - Special Management Areas by State
Table 24 - National Botanical Areas by State
Table 25 - Recreation Management Areas by State
Table 26 - Scenic Recreation Areas by State
Table 27 - Scenic Wildlife Areas by State
Table 28 - National Forest System Acres by Administrative Unit by Region
Land Area Terms, Definitions
The terms used for acreage and land designation vary. The following definitions may answer questions as you read through the data:
Gross: The sum of National Forest System and other acres.
National Forest System: Acres that fall within one of the National Forest System designations described below.
Other Acreage: Areas within National Forest System boundaries that are not federally owned or administered by the Forest Service.
National Forest: permanently set aside and reserved for National Forest System purposes.
National Grassland: designated under the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act. See Part 213, Administration of Lands under Title III of the title III of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act.
Purchase Units: designated for the purpose of Weeks Act acquisition. See Part 254, Landownership Adjustments.
Land Utilization Project Areas: designated for conservation and use under the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act.
Experimental Forest or Range Areas: reserved for forest or range research and experimentation.
Natural Preserves: established to protect and preserve scientific, scenic, geologic, watershed, fish, wildlife, historic, cultural and recreational values. Also to provide for multiple use and sustained yield of renewable resources.
Other: designated area not included in the above categories.
Region: an area managed by the agency but not specifically listed in one of the above groups.
National Forest Wilderness Areas: designated by Congress as a part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
National Forest Primitive Areas: designated by the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service and managed in the same manner as a national wilderness area pending studies to determine suitability as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
National Wild and Scenic River Areas: designated by Congress as part of the National Wild and Scenic River System.
National Recreation Areas: established by Congress to assure and implement protection and management of public outdoor recreation opportunities.
National Scenic-Research Area: established by Congress to provide use and enjoyment of certain ocean headlands and to ensure protection and encourage the study of the area for research and scientific purposes.
National Game Refuges and Wildlife Preserve Areas: designated by Presidential Proclamation or by Congress for the protection of wildlife.
National Monument Areas: includes historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest, as declared by Presidential Proclamation or by an act of Congress.