SEEING THE FOREST FROM THE TREES

At IHLA the mission of "working to ensure a sustainable, affordable supply of quality North American hardwoods for the public good" leads the industry to share concern over the long term viability of the forest products industry in Indiana. The industry members are not regular customers of the DNR Nursery, yet our contact with private landowners, who provide the trees the industry depends upon, makes the critical shortage of seedling production over the last several years an area of concern.

In many ways the current shortage is a result of the efforts by many to promote forest management on private lands. For several decades private interests like the American Tree Farm Program, the Woodland Owners Association and consulting foresters worked to relay the sustainability and profitability message of managed forestland to private landowners. Those efforts, along with the DNR Division of Forestry and Purdue University, continue to drive the message home of private land stewardship for sustainable forests. Perhaps the current situation can be justified by saying the seedling shortage is a victim of forestry's success. Yet that answer is shortsighted and shallow in today's climate of expanded environmental concerns. Clearly the demand for seedling stock will continue to expand as efforts for riparian zones and clean water initiatives are extended on both the federal and state levels. This should all be good news for Indiana and the forest products industry.

However, because of the diversity and nature of the industry, there appears to be little recognition for the long-term needs and planning for a sustainable resource that can support the value-added industry that Indiana relies on for over 56,000 jobs and over $2-1/2 billion in worldwide sales. While industry members work to maximize utilization and efficiencies of production to get the best value of every log that is cut, one must then ask the following questions and wonder how this productivity will be sustained?

 

Indiana Wood Industrial Facts

The Forest Resource

  • 4.4 million acres of forest land; a 10% increase since 1967
  • growing 144 million cubic feet of hardwood timber; a 51% increase since 1967
  • removing 92.4 million cubic feet. A growth to removal ratio of 1.49

Primary Industry (logging, sawmills, veneer, plywood, etc.)

  • producing high quality hardwood lumber and veneer
  • 767 firms comprise the primary industry in Indiana
  • 4 of the 10 largest kitchen cabinet manufacturers have headquarters or plants in Indiana
  • 29,400 individuals are employed by the primary industry
  • $451 million dollars in wages were paid by the primary industry
  • $998 million dollars in value are added to the state economy by the primary industry; a 25% increase since 1987

Secondary Industry (furniture, fixtures, etc.)

  • 317 firms comprise the secondary wood products manufacturing industry in Indiana
  • 64 of the 300 largest U.S. furniture, cabinet, and millwork manufacturers have plants in Indiana
  • 21,200 individuals are employed by the secondary industry $537 million in wages were paid by the secondary industry
  • $1.2 billion in value are added to the state economy by the secondary industry; a gain of 33% since 1987

 

 

Did you know?

Indiana ranks nationwide:

First in production

  • wood office furniture
  • wood kitchen cabinets
  • vanities and cabinetry
  • hardwood veneer
  • plastic laminated wood furniture tops
  • mobile homes

Second in production of:

  • wood window shades and accessories

Third in production of:

  • hardwood plywood
  • public buildings furniture
  • fabricated wood buildings

Fourth in production of:

  • hardwood dimension stock
  • wood furniture parts and vehicle stock
  • wood interior and exterior doors
  • custom wood kitchen cabinets
  • wood living room, library, family room, den, dining room and kitchen furniture

Fifth in production of:

  • upholstered household furniture

For more information contact:

Wood Research Laboratory

Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

Purdue University

1200 Forest Products Building

West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-1200

Telephone: 765-494-3615, Fax: 765-496-1344

http://www.fnr.purdue.edu/woodresearch

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