Western North Carolina Report Card on Forest Sustainability

Forests add value to different groups in different ways, so it is important to understand our community's view of value. As a homeowner in Buncombe County, I value the trees on our lot for their shade that lowers our cooling bills in the summer. My wife, a gardener, asks which trees to plant to replace the ones that were blown over by the hurricanes in 2004. My son, an avid hiker, enjoys the walks from our yard into a neighboring 100 acre wood, where a conservation easement protects the forest land. Though these are personal examples, the breadth of how our forest adds value to my family is indicative of the range of values addressed in this report card