Timber & Primary Wood Manufacturing
The timber and primary wood manufacturing sectors represent industries related to logging, timber management, sawmills, pulp mills and other mill work. Timber management activities include operation of timber tracts, tree farms, and forest nurseries; harvesting and transporting logs; producing rough, round, hewn or riven primary forest or wood raw materials; and reforestation services. Primary wood manufacturing includes processing of logs and related products into lumber, veneer and plywood, pulp and turpentine and other products, like particle board or mulch. These activities tend to be located in relatively close proximity to the forest resource base.
In order to create this indicator, output for timber and primary wood manufacturing industries relative to total output of all economic sectors is evaluated at a county level to index the importance of these industries to the local economy. Total output is the total value of production of goods and services produced in a given time period. It is similar to industry sales, plus or minus inventory.
Data for this indicator were taken from 1999 IMPLAN database from Minnesota IMPLAN Group, Inc. (). IMPLAN data files are compiled from a wide variety of sources including the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, the US Bureau of Labor, and Census.
These sources include:
The data comprising this indicator were among the regional factors incorporated into the economic model for the Strategic Forest Lands Assessment. Counties where this indicator scores high are more likely to continue supporting a healthy timber management and primary wood manufacturing industry. The infrastructure for these industries is in place and social attitudes towards these activities are likely supportive. From another perspective, loss of forest land in these counties, or in nearby areas, may trigger a significant decline in the economy.