Wisconsin

Ranking as one of the state’s top manufacturing industries, Wisconsin’s forest products industry is a vital component of the state’s economy. The industry employs 93,000 workers with an annual payroll of $3.2 billion.  Wisconsin’s paper and wood manufacturing workforce represents 12.6 percent of the state’s total manufacturing workforce.

Approximately 46 percent of Wisconsin is forested.  Credited to regeneration and planting programs, the net annual forest growth exceeds harvests by 36 percent.

Wisconsin's Land Area (in thousands of acres)
Total Land Area: 34,761
Forests: 15,963
Forests as Percent of Total: 45.9%
Federal Lands: 1,957
National Forest System: 1,523

Timberland (in thousands of acres)
Government
    Federal: 1,520
    State: 744
    County & Municipal: 2,282
Forest Industry: 1,102
Other Private Nonindustrial: 10,053
Total Timberland: 15,701

Federal Land Set-Asides (in thousands of acres)
National Parks: 134
Reserved National Forest: 107
Fish & Wildlife Service: 235
Total: 476

Recycled Paper Consumption (in thousands of short tons): 2,516

Tree Planting (acres)
Federal: 1,692
Farmer & Other Private: 22,111
Total: 23,803

Value of Industry Shipments (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $3,747,972
Paper Manufacturing: $12,651,514

Capital Expenditures (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $103,238
Paper Manufacturing: $624,559

Annual Production
Softwood Lumber (million board feet): 133
Hardwood Lumber (million board feet): 552
Structural Panels (million square feet): 616
Paper (thousands of short tons): 5,282
Paperboard (thousands of short tons): 1,092

Timberland Ownership
Government: 29%
Forest Industry: 7%
Other Private Nonindustrial: 64%

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

Employment
Forestry: 2,003
Lumber & Wood Products (includes logging): 37,700
Paper & Allied Products: 53,182