Products & Environmental Services
Southern forests produce over $100 billion in forest products and markets around the world
The southern region is a choice resource for buyers, suppliers and investors seeking an affordable supply of sustainable wood products with a variety of species, year-long harvesting and over 1,600 mills.
Working forests support the southern economy and are responsible for the production of renewable products like lumber, paper products, bioenergy and thousands of other everyday items. Thriving forest markets ensure landowners have the capability and freedom to keep the South’s forests intact, healthy and productive.
Forests also provide ecosystem services like air and water filtration, oxygen production and carbon sequestration, while providing open natural spaces for countless outdoor recreation opportunities.
The South accounts for over half of timber production in the United States
Forestry and the forest products industry contributes more than $251 billion to the South’s economy.
U.S. southern forests, forestry and the forest products industry provides for:
- More than 18% of the world’s pulpwood for paper and paper-related products
- 7% of the world’s industrial roundwood
- More than 2.7% of the region’s economic output
- 1.1 million jobs
- More than $53 billion in income
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Forest Products and Markets
While timber and its many by-products are the primary resource generated by well-managed, sustainable working forests, each southern state has its own unique mix of wood resources, services, manufacturing innovations and investment opportunities. Environmental and financial innovations have also created new revenue streams for forest owners, adding more incentive to keep forests intact.
Timber Products
Pulpwood for paper, lumber, poles and veneer logs are valuable timber commodities to the region’s economy. These are the forest products most people think of and value since they are used for construction, furniture, pencil and paper – products we use daily.
Primary Forest Products:
Primary forest products companies produce lumber, plywood, pulp, paper and other wood products using roundwood logs as a raw material.
Secondary Forest Products:
Secondary forest product companies produce furniture, wood fixtures, molding, trusses and other engineered wood commodities, using products from primary mills as inputs.
Non-timber Products
Trees also provide non-timber products including pine straw, firewood, food, medicines and other non-timber and specialty forest products.
Forest Biomass
Biomass is defined simply as organic material, including wood and other agricultural materials. Forest biomass can include tree trimmings, logging slash, crop residues and organic matter. It also consists of the wood residue of forest product mills, such as sawdust, bark and wood chips. This material, which might otherwise be wasted, can be converted to energy-producing resources.
Replacing fossil fuels with clean, renewable fuels to produce energy from forest biomass can offset CO2 buildup, boost the economy and improve forest health. In addition, the use of renewable, sustainable forest biomass for bio-based products may help decrease the risk of wildfires through the removal of brush, small diameter trees, damaged trees and other fuel sources which could otherwise worsen future wildfire activity if left in the forest.
Carbon Credits
By purchasing carbon credits, businesses and other entities can offset their carbon dioxide emissions with the activities of others, such as planting trees or conserving forests. This purchase may allow forest owners, both public and private, rural and urban, to gain financially from their contribution to the forest carbon sink.
Biodiversity Markets
Biodiversity markets generally focus on habitat conservation and restoration projects. These markets are designed to lessen the impact on biodiversity resulting from various activities and are driven by a regulatory policy of “no net loss.” Biodiversity impacts can be offset by purchasing credits from conservation/mitigation banks for wetlands, streams and threatened or endangered species.
Watershed Markets
Watershed markets and payments direct money to naturally-occurring water infrastructure, such as forest lands, that supports water quality and quantity. These markets may serve to facilitate the delivery of clean and reliable drinking water, manage stormwater and flood control, or improve water quality as directed by regulatory policy.
Urban Wood Utilization
Residential yard trees, community trees and other special trees have gained status for their importance as a natural resource that can be both honored and transformed when the time is right. The planned management of a tree at the end of its biological life is an integral component in “full circle management” of urban forest resources.
Full circle management helps communities attain zero-net-waste goals, improve their green portfolios, and is an important component of any sustainability program. Contact your local state forestry agency for assistance finding a service provider to help you with an urban wood project.
Environmental Services
Forests provide significant environmental benefits including protecting air and water quality, capturing and filtering storm water, storing carbon, enhancing wildlife habitat, supplying renewable energy, reducing energy consumption and delivering quality of life benefits.
Forests and Climate Change
One of the most important services forests provide is helping to maintain the carbon balance in the earth’s atmosphere. Increasing carbon storage, decreasing the use of fossil fuels and strengthening forest resilience is key to mitigating the negative effects of a changing climate.
Healthy, growing trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, releasing oxygen and storing carbon in their wood. Promoting the use of forest products as a substitute for carbon-intensive alternatives like concrete and steel not only helps increase carbon storage but also supports forest retention.
Similarly, forest biomass energy is generally accepted as a “climate-friendly” fuel. The use of forest biomass for energy can help offset the effects of GHG emissions from the burning of fossil fuels for heating, energy generation, and transportation.
Improved Wildlife Habitat
Southern forests are productive, dynamic, and diverse, supporting a vast array of wildlife communities. Well-managed forests can directly enhance habitat for wildlife including migratory bird species, amphibians and black bears.
Water quality protection
Forests produce clean water by absorbing rainfall, refilling aquifers, slowing stormwater runoff and mitigating floods. Carefully managed forests have or create buffers in streamside and wetland areas to filter runoff, remove pollutants and provide tree cover to keep streams cool and improve fish habitat.
Recreation and Wellness
Forests can provide open areas, trails and road access which can promote recreation and enhance natural beauty. Well-managed forests increase opportunities to enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, hunting, fishing and bird watching. Observing and connecting with nature can increase mental, physical and emotional well-being. Studies show that activities such as a walk in the woods can provide a boost to the immune system that lasts two or three days.
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA)
Because of the importance of wood-using industries and all forest values in the South, resource sustainability must be continually assessed in a timely and accurate manner.
Through annual inventories, a regional Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Research work unit measures and assesses changes to the forest ecosystem. Developing new procedures to improve the collection, analysis and transfer of data is a continuous process and a collective effort of the U.S. Forest Service, Southern Research Station, SGSF, universities, forest industry and other partners.
View FIA Data Tools
Resources
Primary Forest Products Locator
Use the Primary Forest Products Locator to locate mills and companies which produce lumber, plywood, pulp, paper and other wood products.
Southern Timber Supply Analysis Application
Use the Southern Timber Supply Analysis Application to estimate the amount of timberland, standing timber, and growth and removals within a user-specified distance or trucking time.
Biomass FAQ
Frequently asked questions about the use of forest biomass for energy production.
Carbon Sequestration FAQs
Frequently asked questions about the role forests play in sequestering carbon from the earth’s atmosphere.
Glossary of Carbon Market Terms
See definitions for common terms used in relation to forestry carbon markets.
Urban Forest Wood Usage
This video highlights the use of trees in cities and towns.
Urban Wood Network
The Urban Wood Network is a collaborative network of urban wood industry professionals and stakeholders.
The Southern Forest Futures Project
Evaluation of the implications of potential futures for goods and services provided by southern forests.
