Promoting Healthy Trees and Forests
Facing our challenges:
Healthy forest communities support a variety of plants and animals and contribute to our quality of life. Missouri’s forests, 82 percent of which are privately owned, support a wood-products industry that annually generates $4.4 billion in economic activity, creates $54 million in state sales tax revenue and supports 32,250 jobs. Public forest areas are also valuable recreation destinations in the Ozarks and throughout Missouri.
Threats to forest health in Missouri include uncontrolled fire, invasive plant species, disease, insects and land conversions that result in smaller, fragmented forests. Responsible management of our forests will result in abundant renewable resources and improve the quality of forest habitats. Healthy forests also limit erosion and water runoff that lower stream quality and degrade aquatic habitat.
Goal: The Conservation Department will promote management of Missouri’s forests using practices that yield healthy, highquality and sustainable resource benefits.
Results we want to achieve:
- Functioning, sustainable forests to support healthy natural communities.
- Forest lands managed for long-term health using the best scientific information.
- Enhanced benefits to the Missouri economy from responsible harvest of forest products.
What we will do:
- Monitor diseases and insect threats, like the gypsy moth, that are detrimental to Missouri’s forests and implement necessary control measures.
- Maintain statewide wildfire suppression efforts through education, firefighting and the support of local rural fire departments.
- Increase forestry technical assistance to serve 3,000 landowners annually and provide at least $250,000 in cost-share assistance each year for private landowners interested in forest management.
- Restore formerly forested lands on Conservation Areas by 2030 to support wildlife species dependent upon glades, savannas, woodlands and forests.
- Expand partnerships with the forest industry to promote sustainable practices and conservation training across Missouri.
- Increase comprehensive community forestry programs such as Tree City USA to improve tree health in Missouri’s urban areas.
What Missourians tell us
More than three-quarters of Missourians feel that it is very important that “Forests improve the quality of waters in rivers, streams and lakes” (79 percent) and that “Forests provide habitat for wildlife” (84 percent).
Almost all Missourians approve of cutting trees “to improve forest health or condition” (91 percent) and to “remove diseased or dying trees” (94 percent).
A majority of Missourians approve of cutting trees “to provide places for wildlife to live” (68 percent) and “to make lumber or other wood products” (51 percent).
Missourians feel it is very important that “Forests provide scenic beauty” (55 percent), that “Forests provide lumber and other wood products” (55 percent) and that “Forests provide a place for recreation” (50 percent).
