Texas A&M Forest Service has completed a new study of the economic contribution provided by forestry-driven, wood-based industries in Texas. The report shows that the total economic contributions of the Texas forest sector include $30.3 billion in industry output, supporting more than 130,600 jobs; and continues to be one of the top ten manufacturing sectors in the state.
The report analyzes data collected from 2012, the most current available. Texas A&M Forest Service periodically produces the report,Economic Impact of the Texas Forest Sector, to give citizens an idea of where the forest sector fits overall into the Texas economy.
The current report is especially important because it shows where forestry in Texas stands as the economy rebounds from the 2007–09 recession. The recession had a profound adverse impact on the Texas forest sector, and although forest and forest product industries have not fully recovered, there are signs of improvement.
Dr. Omkar Joshi, Forest Economist with the Texas A&M Forest Service, says that the forest sector is making steady progress, climbing from the lows seen during the recession. “With the economy improving and the housing market getting better and better, we should continue to see the forest industry’s economic contribution to Texas increase.”
In 2012, the 43-county region of East Texas produced $5.7 billion worth of goods and services, directly supporting more than 18,900 jobs. This region is home to over 80 percent of Texas’ timberland, and is the main producer of primary forest products such as lumber, structural panels, paper and pulp.
Manufacturing of secondary forest products like windows, doors and engineered wood products that use wood along with other materials, contributed over two-thirds of the Texas forest sector’s total industry output and employed 72 percent of the forest sector workforce.
Texas forest products firms exported more than $1.8 billion worth of forest products to foreign countries in 2012. East Texas was the largest contributor to exports accounting for about 42 percent of the total value of Texas forest products foreign exports.
View and download a copy of the full report and visit TexasForestInfo.com for additional information on economic impacts of the Texas forest sector, statewide trend analysis, directory of forest products industries, timber supply analysis, county- or region-specific distribution of forest products and economic values of the ecological goods and services provided by Texas forests.
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Omkar Joshi, Forest Economist, Texas A&M Forest Service, 979-458-6634, [email protected]
Chris Edgar, Forest Resource Analyst, Texas A&M Forest Service, 979-458-6659, [email protected]
Texas A&M Forest Service Communications, 979-458-6606, [email protected]
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