Latest data on Northwest forest industries released

Photo Credit

USDA Forest Service photo

Harvested logs from the Deschutes National Forest.

Timber production in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington plays a critical role in the U.S. wood products industry. Forests on public and private lands in these states produce much of the timber used to meet the country’s demand for building materials and paper and wood biomass products.

The Pacific Northwest Research Station has provided information on the region’s timber industry for more than 40 years in its Production, Prices, Employment, and Trade report. 

“We first published this data in print and, later, as an online report, and we’re now offering it in web format, which makes it more readily available for industry analysts, researchers and the public," said Anna Maher, an economist at the station who compiled the latest figures.

The Production, Prices, Employment, and Trade webpage provides data on four key areas related to the wood products industry in the Pacific Northwest: lumber and plywood production, timber harvest, employment, and international trade.

“These data offer both historical context and contemporary snapshots of the industry in the Pacific Northwest and provide information for the public, researchers, policymakers, land managers, and others interested in the region’s timber and wood product markets,” Maher said.

Photo Credit

USDA Forest Service graphic

Softwood log export volume from Anchorage, Alaska; Columbia-Snake, Oregon; and Seattle, Washington Customs Districts.

Downloadable data tables are available for:

• Lumber and plywood production and prices
• Timber harvest
• Employment in forest products industries
• Log, pulpwood, and chip exports
• Lumber, plywood, and veneer exports and imports
• Timber cut and sold by public agencies

The tables were compiled using data from numerous sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. International Trade Commission.

“The information contained in the Production, Prices, Employment, and Trade report allows readers to examine a wide variety of forest sector trends, such as trends in log export patterns from the Pacific Northwest,” Maher said.

Highlights of the updated data set include:

• Pacific Northwest softwood log exports declined over the last decade, from a high of 1,892 million board feet (MMBF) in 2013 to a low of 572 MMBF in 2023. The majority of these log exports come from privately-owned forestlands and log purchasers who buy only from private forestlands. Unprocessed logs harvested from federal lands in Oregon and Washington are not allowed to be exported under the Forest Resources Conservation and Shortage Relief Act. Unprocessed logs harvested from federal lands in Alaska may be exported by special permit.
• Oregon leads U.S. softwood log exports from this region, accounting for over half of the total volume in 2023.
• Douglas-fir species comprises 80% (5-year average 2019-2023) of Oregon's softwood log exports.