Pennsylvania

Ranking as one of the state’s top manufacturing industries, Pennsylvania’s forest products industry is a vital component of the state’s economy. The industry employs 82,000 workers with an annual payroll of $2.4 billion. Pennsylvania’s paper and wood manufacturing workforce represents 6.9 percent of the state’s total manufacturing workforce.

Approximately 59 percent of Pennsylvania is forested. Credited to regeneration and planting programs, the net annual forest growth exceeds harvests by a substantial margin.

Pennsylvania's Land Area (in thousands of acres)
Total Land Area: 28,685
Forests: 16,905
Forests as Percent of Total: 58.9%
Federal Lands: 678
National Forest System: 513

Timberland (in thousands of acres)
Government
   Federal: 498
   State: 2,788
   County & Municipal: 233
Forestry Industry: 613
Other Private Nonindustrial: 11,721
Total Timberland: 15,853

Federal Land Set-Asides (in thousands of acres)
National Parks: 109
Reserved National Forest: 56
Fish & Wildlife Service: 10
Total: 176

Recycled Paper Consumption (in thousands of short tons): 1,170

Tree Planting (acres)
Federal: 196
Farmer & Other Private: 3,774
Total: 3,970

Value of Industry Shipments (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $3,292,725
Paper Manufacturing: $8,901,062

Capital Expenditures (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $91,534
Paper Manufacturing: $445,926

Annual Production
Softwood Lumber (million board feet): 39
Hardwood Lumber (million board feet): 1,087
Paper (in thousands of short tons): 1,771
Paperboard (in thousands of short tons): 705

Timberland Ownership
Government: 22%
Forest Industry: 4%
Other Private Nonindustrial: 74%

Pennsylvania’s total softwood and hardwood inventory has increased 92 percent since 1953 despite increasing production of wood and paper products.

Employment
Forestry: 2,106
Lumber & Wood Products (includes logging): 43,475
Paper & Allied Products: 36,669