Utah

Ranking as one of the state’s top manufacturing industries, Utah’s forest products industry is a vital component of the state’s economy. The industry employs 8,000 workers with an annual payroll of $192 million. Utah’s paper and wood manufacturing workforce represents 4.1 percent of the state’s total manufacturing workforce.

Approximately 30 percent of Utah is forested. Credited to regeneration and planting programs, the net annual forest growth exceeds harvests by a substantial margin.

Utah's Land Area (in thousands of acres)
Total Land Area: 52,444
Forests: 15,705
Forests as Percent of Total: 29.9%
Federal Lands: 34,006
National Forest System: 8,179

Timberland (in thousands of acres)
Government
    Federal: 3,603
    State: 212
    County & Municipal: 7
Other Private Nonindustrial: 878
Total Timberland: 4,700

Federal Land Set-Asides (in thousands of acres)
National Parks: 2,117
Reserved National Forest: 871
Fish & Wildlife Service: 112
Bureau of Land Management: 1,723
Total: 4,822

Tree Planting (acres)
Federal: 1,103
Total: 1,103

Value of Industry Shipments (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $213,147
Paper Manufacturing: $781,892

Capital Expenditures (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $7,504
Paper Manufacturing: $43,301

Annual Production
Hardwood & Softwood Lumber (million board feet): 48

Timberland Ownership
Government: 81%
Other Private Nonindustrial: 19%

Utah’s total softwood and hardwood inventory has increased 62 percent since 1953 despite increasing production of wood and paper products.

Employment
Lumber & Wood Products (includes logging): 5,485
Paper & Allied Products: 2,592