Colorado

Ranking as one of the state’s top manufacturing industries, Colorado’s forest products industry is a vital component of the state’s economy. The industry employs 11,000 workers with an annual payroll of $268 million.  Colorado’s paper and wood manufacturing workforce represents 4.1 percent of the state’s total manufacturing workforce.

Approximately 32 percent of Colorado is forested. Credited to regeneration and planting programs, the net annual forest growth exceeds harvests by a substantial margin.

Colorado's Land Area (in thousands of acres)
Total Land Area: 66,312
Forests: 21,270
Forests as Percent of Total: 32.1%
Federal Lands: 24,234
National Forest System: 14,509

Timberland (in thousands of acres)
Government
    Federal: 7,968
    State: 311
    County & Municipal: 52
Other Private Nonindustrial: 3,224
Total Timberland: 11,555

Federal Land Set-Asides (in thousands of acres)
National Parks: 613
Reserved National Forest: 3,210
Fish & Wildlife Service: 84
Bureau of Land Management: 1,402
Total: 5,309

Recycled Paper Consumption (in thousands of short tons): 1,063
*also includes Arizona, Idaho, Montana and New Mexico’s recycled paper consumption

Tree Planting (acres)
Federal: 662
State, County & Municipal: 285
Farmer & Other Private: 5,636
Total: 6,583

Value of Industry Shipments (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $503,339
Paper Manufacturing: $691,907

Capital Expenditures (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $13,771
Paper Manufacturing: $23,773

Annual Production
Hardwood & Softwood Lumber (million board feet): 114
Structural Panels (million square feet): 1,385*
Paper & Paperboard (thousands of short tons): 1,831**
*also includes Oklahoma, New York and Tennessee’s production
**includes entire Mountain Region

Timberland Ownership
Government: 72%
Other Private Nonindustrial: 28%

Colorado’s total softwood and hardwood inventory has increased 58 percent since 1953 despite increasing production of wood and paper products.

Employment
Forestry: 78
Lumber & Wood Products (includes logging): 7,165
Paper & Allied Products: 3,266