Kentucky

Ranking as one of the state’s top manufacturing industries, Kentucky’s forest products industry is a vital component of the state’s economy. The industry employs 32,000 workers with an annual payroll of $724 million. Kentucky’s paper and wood manufacturing workforce represents 7.6 percent of the state’s total manufacturing workforce.

Approximately 50 percent of Kentucky is forested. Credited to regeneration and planting programs, the net annual forest growth exceeds harvests by 54 percent.

Kentucky's Land Area (in thousands of acres)
Total Land Area: 25,429
Forests: 12,684
Forests as Percent of Total: 49.9%
Federal Lands: 1,236
National Forest System: 694

Timberland (in thousands of acres)
Government
    Federal: 863
    State: 141
Forest Industry: 205
Other Private Nonindustrial: 11,139
Total Timberland: 12,348

Federal Land Set-Asides (in thousands of acres)
National Parks: 95
Reserved National Forests: 21
Fish & Wildlife Service: 7
Total: 123

Recycled Paper Consumption (in thousands of short tons): 2,067
also includes Tennessee’s recycled paper consumption

Tree Planting (acres)
Federal: 431
State, County and Municipal: 202
Forest Industry: 1,855
Farmer & Other Private: 5,781
Total: 8,269

Value of Industry Shipments (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $1,238,812
Paper Manufacturing: $2,908,436

Capital Expenditures (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $63,254
Paper Manufacturing: $409,536

Annual Production
Softwood Lumber (million board feet): 6
Hardwood Lumber (million board feet): 741
Paper (thousands of short tons): 723
Paperboard (thousands of short tons): *
*withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual company

Timberland Ownership
Government: 8%
Forest Industry: 2%
Other Private Nonindustrial: 90%

Kentucky’s total softwood and hardwood inventory has more than doubled since 1953 despite increasing production of wood and paper products.

Employment
Forestry: 225
Lumber & Wood Products (includes logging): 19,060
Paper & Allied Products: 12,321