Massachusetts

Ranking as one of the state’s top manufacturing industries, Massachusetts’ forest products industry is a vital component of the state’s economy. The industry employs 25,000 workers with an annual payroll of $928 million. Massachusetts’ paper and wood manufacturing workforce represents 5.3 percent of the state’s total manufacturing workforce.

Approximately 65 percent of Massachusetts is forested. Credited to regeneration and planting programs, the net annual forest growth exceeds harvests by a substantial margin.

Massachusetts' Land Area (in thousands of acres)
Total Land Area: 5,016
Forests: 3,264
Forests as Percent of Total: 65.1%
Federal Lands: 78

Timberland (in thousands of acres)
Government
    Federal: 48
    State: 275
    County & Municipal: 157
Forest Industry: 71
Other Private Nonindustrial: 2,415
Total Timberland: 2,966

Federal Land Set-Asides (in thousands of acres)
National Parks: 58
Fish & Wildlife Service: 14
Total: 72

Recycled Paper Consumption (in thousands of short tons): 636

Tree Planting (acres)
Federal: 2
Farmer & Other Private: 14
Total: 16

Value of Industry Shipments (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $398,248
Paper Manufacturing: $4,041,584

Capital Expenditures (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $9,896
Paper Manufacturing: $151,892

Annual Production
Softwood Lumber (million board feet): *
Hardwood Lumber (million board feet): *
Paper (thousands of short tons): 346
Paperboard (thousands of short tons): 383
*withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual companies

Timberland Ownership
Government: 16%
Forest Industry: 2%
Other Private Nonindustrial: 82%

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

Employment
Forestry: 679
Lumber & Wood Products (includes logging): 5,248
Paper & Allied Products: 19,392