Most Forested States, Where Does Florida Rank?

Six days after Earth Day is Arbor Day. Wisevoter released their 2023 Most Forested States report to coincide with this time of year, and Florida ranked right in the middle.

Forests in the United States cover approximately one-third of the country’s landmass. Wiservoter details how they provide "vital habitats for wildlife and essential ecosystem services like capturing and storing carbon, moderating water flows, reducing air pollution, and providing recreational opportunities for Americans to enjoy."

A healthy forest is also a crucial factor in preserving the health of our air and clean water. Therefore, Forestry is an essential business. "American forests directly employ over 900,000 people in various jobs such as forest management, timber harvesting, tourism, recreation, and more," Wisevoter continues.

Florida

To determine their rankings, Wisevoter surveyed the land of each state to compile what percentage of land is forested. Massachusetts finished 21st with 49.3% forest coverage.  Coverage is defined as the percentage of forest land area. In addition, the sunshine state has 16,970,000 forest land acres. Florida has a .27% percentage of acres burned by wildfire. Finally, Florida is the home of 37 state forests.

Maine is the state that had the most forest coverage, with 88%. North Dakota was 50th, with only 1.8% forest coverage. At this point, you might wonder how a larger state in mileage would outrank a smaller state like Hawaii. It's because the measurements are based on that state's percentage under forest coverage, as opposed to the actual square mileage or acres of forest.

What about the rest of the southern region?

They all ranked relatively high. In fact, Florida was the lowest on the forest coverage list for all the southeastern states.

Alabama was fifth with 71.3% forest coverage. South Carolina and Georgia were sixth and seventh, with 66.8% and 66.5%, respectively. Mississippi was eighth at 63.9% forest coverage.

You may come across various areas considering the time between Earth Day and Arbor Day  to be "Arbor Week." In recognition, the University of Florida partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to provide free trees to residents.  Hillsborough County in the Tampa area states that Arbor Day is the best time to plant native trees. With Florida being in the top half of most forested states in coverage, it's a great time to get outdoors and participate.

Florida is the country's third most populated state with over 22 million people. The weather, plus the coastlines, make the area attractive to those seeking warmth year-round.  You might think that coastal living is prohibitively expensive. But that's not always the case. Thrillist recently reported on affordable coastal towns and the results show two Florida beach towns are the most affordable in the country.

In order to create this list, Thrillist researched Zillow information to find "which US beach towns have some of the lowest real estate prices at the current moment." They note that while major markets like Miami saw a significant increase in real estate prices since the pandemic, there are plenty of more quaint beachside towns where you can find reasonably priced waterfront properties.

This Atlantic-facing, east coast beach destination had a median home price of $256,550. In fact, Daytona Beach is the first spot mentioned on Thrillist's list. They highlight Daytona's close proximity to Orlando and Jacksonville if you crave some bigger city happenings. The area intends to change its image from being a spring break destination to something a bit more high-end.

The last spot featured by Thrillist was Deerfield Beach. With a median home price of $297,138, Deerfield Beach benefits from being close to large markets like Palm Beach where prices have significantly increased. "Not only does this spot feel more local than many others along the coast, it’s also home to one of the best beaches in the area (it’s even been awarded the “Blue Wave” designation)," the article explains.

The other towns highlighted here were spread throughout the country. Port Arthur and Freeport, Texas offered the cheapest real estate price for their bayside and gulf area. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Swansboro, North Carolina were two other southern Atlantic coast destinations that are affordable (but more expensive than Florida).

Though these two Florida beach towns are amongst the most affordable, they are also unique in their own right. Let's take a dive into the waters of each one.