Minnesota

Ranking as one of the state’s top manufacturing industries, Minnesota’s forest products industry is a vital component of the state’s economy. The industry employs 56,000 workers with an annual payroll of $2.4 billion.  Minnesota’s paper and wood manufacturing workforce represents 8 percent of the state’s total manufacturing workforce.

Approximately 33 percent of Minnesota is forested. Credited to regeneration and planting programs, the net annual forest growth exceeds harvests by 14 percent.

Minnesota’s Land Area (in thousands of acres)
Total Land Area: 50,954
Forests: 16,796
Forests as Percent of Total: 33%
Federal Lands: 4,437
National Forest System: 2,838

Timberland (in thousands of acres)
Government
    Federal: 2,115
    State: 3,063
    County & Municipal: 2,503
Forest Industry: 751
Other Private Nonindustrial: 6,388
Total Timberland: 14,820

Federal Land Set-Asides (in thousands of acres)
National Parks: 301
Reserved National Forest: 1,087
Fish & Wildlife Service: 537
Total: 1,925

Recycled Paper Consumption (in thousands of short tons): 1,567
also includes Iowa’s recycled paper consumption

Tree Planting (acres)
Federal: 3,017
State, County & Municipal: 9,036
Forest Industry: 3,790
Farmer & Other Private: 8,699
Total: 24,542

Value of Industry Shipments (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $2,499,139
Paper Manufacturing: $4,049,622

Capital Expenditures (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $62,828
Paper Manufacturing: $346,997

Annual Production
Softwood Lumber (million board feet): 186
Hardwood Lumber (million board feet): 127
Structural Panels (million square feet): 1,644
Paper& Paperboard (thousands of short tons): 3,178
includes entire west North Central Region

Timberland Ownership
Government: 52%
Forest Industry: 5%
Other Private Nonindustrial: 43%

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

Employment
Forestry: 1,120
Lumber & Wood Products (includes logging): 24,350
Paper & Allied Products: 30,647