Idaho

Ranking as one of the state’s top manufacturing industries, Idaho’s forest products industry is a vital component of the state’s economy. The industry employs 19,000 workers with an annual payroll of $579 million. Idaho’s paper and wood manufacturing workforce represents 17 percent of the state’s total manufacturing workforce.

Approximately 41 percent of Idaho is forested. Credited to regeneration and planting programs, the net annual forest growth exceeds harvests by a substantial margin.

Idaho's Land Area (in thousands of acres)
Total Land Area: 52,909
Forests: 21,937
Forests as Percent of Total: 41.5%
Federal Lands: 33,073
National Forest System: 20,458

Timberland (in thousands of acres)
Government
    Federal: 12,896
    State: 980
    County & Municipal: 25
Forest Industry: 1,284
Other Private Nonindustrial: 1,938
Total Timberland: 17,123

Federal Land Set-Asides (in thousands of acres)
National Parks: 105
Reserved National Forest: 5,034
Fish & Wildlife Service: 89
Bureau of Land Management: 2,289
Total: 7,517

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

Tree Planting (acres)
Federal: 19,964
State, County &Municipal: 3,421
Forest Industry: 10,294
Farmer & Other Private: 1,203
Total: 34,882

Value of Industry Shipments (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $2,010,498
Paper Manufacturing: $613,265

Capital Expenditures (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $33,811
Paper Manufacturing: $23,379

Annual Production
Softwood Lumber (million board feet): 1,985
Structural Panels (million square feet): 398
Paper & Paperboard (in thousands of short tons): 1,831*
*includes entire Mountain Region

Timberland Ownership
Government: 81%
Forest Industry: 8%
Other Private Nonindustrial: 11%

Idaho’s total softwood and hardwood inventory has increased by 36 percent since 1953 despite increasing production of wood and paper products.

Employment
Forestry: 1,112
Lumber & Wood Products (includes logging): 15,888
Paper & Allied Products: 2,283