Texas A&M Forest Service

The forest sector is important to the Texas economy, especially in East Texas where most of the state’s commercial forests are located. In 2009, Texas produced 479.8 million cubic feet of timber. Timber stumpage value was $214.9 million and the delivered value was $494.8 million. In 2009, Texas produced 1.4 billion board feet of lumber, 2.0 billion square feet of structural panels, and 2.0 million tons of pulp and paper products. The Texas forest sector also produces many value-added forest products such as treated wood products, millwork, wood kitchen cabinets, prefabricated wood buildings, wood furniture, and various paper products (Harvest Trends 2009).

In 2007, the Texas forest sector produced industry outputs worth $19.4 billion. That total includes $6.4 billion in value-added products. It employed 78,350 workers and paid $4.4 billion in wages, salaries and benefits in the same year. The annual total impact to the Texas economy by its forest sector was $33.6 billion in 2007, which included value-added products worth $14.1 billion. In the same year, the Texas forest sector generated 166,071 jobs and created $8.6 billion in labor income (Economic Impact of the Texas Forest Sector, 2007).

Who owns Texas forests?

East Texas’ 12.0 million acres of timberland are diverse forests that are vital economic and environmental assets. Slightly more than 200,000 individual/family forest owners hold an estimated 65% of the state’s forestland while Public landowners hold only 8% of forestlands in Texas. The U. S. Forest Service is the largest stakeholder in this category. The remaining 27% of acres is mostly comprised of land acquired by TIMOs (timber investment management organizations) and REITs (real estate investment trusts) from forest industry. You can search an online database for the most recent Texas FIA forest survey results.

What are some economic development opportunities in East Texas?

The 2008 Texas forest inventory showed increased volume and productivity of timberlands in Texas. In the southeastern part of the state, with the closing of several plywood and paper mills, there were excess supplies of both softwood and hardwood. Preliminary analyses showed the existence of timber sources for additional wood conversion facilities in southeast Texas, possibly a small pine sawmill, a pine OSB mill, and a hardwood sawmill. You may contact us for more information on this topic.

What is woody biomass?

East Texas has substantial amounts of biomass in the form of logging and mill residues. A total of 2.6 million tons of logging residue were generated in 2009: 66 percent were softwood and 34 percent were hardwood.

There were a total of 5.6 million tons of mill residue produced in East Texas in 2009: 83 percent were softwood and 17 percent were hardwood. Chips accounted for 52 percent of the total mill residue, followed by bark at 30 percent. Sawdust and shavings accounted for 13 percent and 5 percent, respectively, of the total mill residue produced. Except for stumps, all other biomass from logging and mill residue was available for energy production or chemical extraction. See this recent report for more information on the availability of woody biomass in East Texas. See this recent report for information about the economics of woody biomass harvesting.

What kind of help can I get to better manage my timberland?

After the establishment of your timberland, there are many management decisions to be made, such as when to thin and harvest the timber, and how to conduct the sales. Texas A&M Forest Service has some interactive online tools that can help you make timberland management decisions that will improve your financial return from the use of that timberland. The bi-monthly Timber Price Trends publication from the Texas A&M Forest Service will give you a broad picture of the timber market. You can find wood buyers from the online Directory of the Forest Products Industries in Texas. A list of loggers in your area can be obtained from the Texas Forestry Association website.