New York

Ranking as one of the state’s top manufacturing industries, New York’s forest products industry is a vital component of the state’s economy. The industry employs 52,000 workers with an annual payroll of $1.6 billion.  New York’s paper and wood manufacturing workforce represents 4.8 percent of the state’s total manufacturing workforce.

Approximately 62 percent of New York is forested. Credited to regeneration and planting programs, the net annual forest growth exceeds harvests by a substantial margin.

New York's Land Area (in thousands of acres)
Total Land Area: 30,223
Forests: 18,581
Forests as Percent of Total: 61.5%
Federal Lands: 122
National Forest System: 16

Timberland (in thousands of acres)
Government
    Federal: 86
    State: 852
    County & Municipal: 215
Forestry Industry: 1,220
Other Private Nonindustrial: 13,032
Total Timberland: 15,405

Federal Land Set-Asides (in thousands of acres)
National Parks: 96
Fish & Wildlife Service: 28
Total: 124

Recycled Paper Consumption (in thousands of short tons): 1,504

Tree Planting (acres)
State, County & Municipal: 58
Farmer & Other Private: 254
Total: 312

Value of Industry Shipments (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $1, 333,633
Paper Manufacturing: $5,139,652

Capital Expenditures (in thousands of dollars)
Wood Product Manufacturing: $43,557
Paper Manufacturing: $313,910

Annual Production
Softwood Lumber (million board feet): 100
Hardwood Lumber (million board feet): 474
Structural Panels (million square feet): 1,385*
Paper (in thousands of short tons): 1,737
Paperboard (in thousands of short tons): 883
*Also Includes: Oklahoma, Colorado and Tennessee

Timberland Ownership
Government: 7%
Forest Industry: 8%
Other Private Nonindustrial: 85%

New York’s total softwood and hardwood inventory has more than doubled since 1953 despite increasing production of wood and paper products.

Employment
Forestry: 1,517
Lumber & Wood Products (includes logging): 18,868
Paper & Allied Products: 31,953