Oregon is number one
I visited Wisconsin last week for the Society of American Foresters National Convention. Foresters are very proud people and we all think our state or region is the best. However, I have proof that Oregon is number one. I have been gathering data for our new edition of Oregon Forest Facts & Figures 2017-18, and here are some of the ways I have found that Oregon is top in the nation.
Oregon is number one in softwood lumber
No other state produces as much softwood lumber as Oregon’s 5.2 billion board feet. This represents more than 16 percent of the nation’s softwood lumber production. In fact, Oregon has led in this category for at least a decade, and probably much longer.
Here’s proof:
Top 10 states and U.S. total production (in millions of board feet)1
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
% of U.S. total
for 2015
Oregon
7,033
6,176
4,724
3,829
3,994
4,134
4,659
5,119
5,448
5,222
16.5%
Washington
5,130
4,763
3,885
3,241
3,637
3,685
3,763
3,942
4,035
3,745
11.8%
Georgia
2,590
2,309
1,920
1,702
1,856
1,995
2,111
2,190
2,363
2,454
7.8%
Alabama
2,433
2,242
1,594
1,385
1,455
1,613
1,808
1,950
2,034
2,155
6.8%
California
2,590
2,309
1,920
1,442
1,435
1,623
1,838
1,937
1,938
1,957
6.2%
Arkansas
2,420
2,215
1,615
1,631
1,638
1,737
1,808
1,859
1,944
1,937
6.1%
Mississippi
2,224
1,998
1,598
1,433
1,523
1,604
1,622
1,715
1,824
1,821
5.8%
Idaho
1,847
1,752
1,344
1,105
1,258
1,353
1,494
1,647
1,667
1,717
5.4%
North Carolina
2,027
1,649
1,407
1,212
1,248
1,331
1,521
1,564
1,664
1,678
5.3%
Texas
1,788
1,652
1,406
1,184
1,055
1,101
1,191
1,260
1,296
1,332
4.2%
Total U.S.
38,726
35,158
29,177
23,187
24,803
26,508
28,257
29,951
31,496
31,644
Oregon is number one in plywood production2
Oregon led the nation in plywood production with 2.5 billion square feet in 2015, which is nearly 30 percent of national production.
This is significantly more than the next highest plywood-producing states, Louisiana, Washington and Texas. Check it out:
Top plywood-producing states (million square feet, 3/8” basis)
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
% of U.S. total for 2015
Oregon
2,303
2,149
2,553
2,704
2,589
2,534
29%
Louisiana
996
1,111
1,236
1,251
1,191
1,195
14%
Washington
777
706
751
791
760
756
9%
Texas
809
750
763
726
700
671
8%
Georgia
591
571
649
609
589
588
7%
Mississippi
584
650
656
654
611
582
7%
Arkansas
867
837
470
505
520
481
5%
…
U.S. total
9,131
8,986
9,181
9,345
8,985
8,817
Oregon is number one in engineered wood products2
Oregon has 17 engineered wood processing facilities, or 25 percent of the 68 facilities in the country. This includes glulam, I-joist, laminated veneer lumber and cross-laminated timber facilities. The APA – Engineered Wood Association doesn’t publish production statistics by state, but Oregon is clearly the leader in engineered wood products. This is important because engineered wood represents the future of forest products.
Oregon is number one in net softwood growth, but second in softwood harvest3
The reason Oregon is able to lead the nation in the major forest product categories is because we have abundant forests with primarily softwood trees, such as Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine. These are the tree species that are used primarily for housing and building construction.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, Oregon grows more softwood timber than any other state in the nation, with 1.54 billion cubic feet. But in an interesting twist, Georgia jumps ahead of Oregon to be number one in softwood timber harvest. This is because most forestland in Georgia is privately owned and managed for timber production. In contrast, the majority of the forestland in Oregon is publicly owned, and unlike many privately owned forests, timber production is not the primary objective on those lands.
Top five states for softwood timber growth and harvest
State
Softwood net growth
(in thousand cubic feet)
Softwood harvest
(in thousand cubic feet)
Oregon
1,538,297
974,925
Washington
1,500,255
843,231
Georgia
1,378,561
1,043,796
California
1,374,048
466,293
Alabama
995,095
804,774
The other thing foresters talk a lot about is football. So, it is nice to know that even though Washington has the best football team in the Pacific Northwest this year, we beat them again in every major forestry category.
For the forest and the Beaver State,
Mike Cloughesy
Director of Forestry
1 Forest Economic Advisors LLC. Personal communication: October 2016. www.getfea.com
2 Joe Elling. Structural Panel and Engineered Wood Yearbook. APA – The Engineered Wood Association. Tacoma, Wash. April 2016.
3 Brad Smith et al. Forest Resources of the United States, 2007. USDA Forest Service, GTR-Wo-78. March 2009.