Delaware

Ranking as one of the state’s top manufacturing industries, Delaware’s forest products industry is a vital component of the state’s economy. The industry employs two thousand workers with an annual payroll of $80 million. Delaware’s paper and wood manufacturing workforce represents 8.9 percent of the state’s total manufacturing workforce.

Approximately 31 percent of Delaware is forested. Credited to regeneration and planting programs, the net annual forest growth exceeds harvests by a 60 percent.

Delaware’s Land Area (in thousands of acres)
Total Land Area: 1,251
Forests: 389
Forests as Percent of Total: 31.1%
Federal Lands: 27

Timberland (in thousands of acres)
Government
    State: 13
Forest Industry: 31
Other Private Nonindustrial: 332
Total Timberland: 376

Federal Land Set-Asides (in thousands of acres)
Fish & Wildlife Service: 27
Total: 27

Recycled Paper Consumption (in thousands of short tons): 144
also includes Maryland’s recycled paper consumption

Tree Planting (acres)
Forest Industry: 1,123
Farmer & Other Private: 1,123
Total: 2,246

Value of Industry Shipments (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $90,248
Paper Manufacturing: $804,382

Capital Expenditures (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $1,678
Paper Manufacturing: *
*withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual company

Annual Production
Hardwood & Softwood Lumber (million board feet): 14
Paper & Paperboard (thousands of short tons): *
*withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual companies

Timberland Ownership
Government: 4%
Forest Industry: 8%
Other Private Nonindustrial: 88%

Delaware’s total softwood and hardwood inventory has increased 41 percent since 1953 despite increasing production of wood and paper products.

Employment
Forestry: 18
Lumber & Wood Products (includes logging): 603
Paper & Allied Products: 1,829