NC State Extension Publications

2021 Income of North Carolina Timber Harvested and Delivered to Mills

 

County Acres of Timberland1 Percent Timberland Stumpage Value2 Delivered Value3 Rank4
Alamance 131,863 49% 2,385,910 4,335,867 79
Alexander 102,745 62% 1,877,504 3,255,677 81
Alleghany 69,520 46% 2,990,032 6,213,060 66
Anson 203,063 60% 14,723,576 28,113,015 8
Ashe 172,579 63% 3,594,875 6,452,580 64
Avery 127,101 80% 414,626 1,693,232 95
Beaufort 348,354 65% 20,376,393 41,023,468 1
Bertie 321,332 72% 18,032,629 36,140,470 4
Bladen 406,791 73% 19,417,837 37,013,038 3
Brunswick 414,264 76% 14,116,499 27,215,727 9
Buncombe 215,592 51% 846,388 1,924,557 91
Burke 234,571 72% 4,126,779 8,415,299 49
Cabarrus 93,110 40% 4,337,814 7,659,550 56
Caldwell 239,321 79% 2,485,486 4,337,906 78
Camden 72,433 47% 897,717 1,760,442 93
Carteret 163,290 50% 2,180,666 5,339,924 68
Caswell 195,266 72% 2,881,125 6,515,374 63
Catawba 82,411 32% 7,981,254 15,107,756 29
Chatham 255,764 59% 9,906,741 17,608,428 23
Cherokee 256,986 88% 644,052 2,291,489 87
Chowan 51,909 47% 860,326 1,823,790 92
Clay 85,662 62% 458,894 1,708,869 94
Cleveland 135,572 46% 2,927,398 7,290,287 58
Columbus 368,952 61% 20,061,067 40,953,859 2
Craven 272,309 60% 17,486,884 34,178,394 5
Cumberland 232,833 56% 7,784,598 14,427,203 34
Currituck 41,015 24% 82,669 205,145 99
Dare 53,073 22% 952,208 2,333,544 86
Davidson 185,288 52% 9,318,163 16,729,876 26
Davie 78,273 46% 3,497,395 8,188,782 53
Duplin 262,098 50% 7,633,665 14,774,102 31
Durham 91,167 50% 868,966 3,118,512 83
Edgecombe 170,027 53% 6,628,444 12,943,800 36
Forsyth 104,712 40% 3,583,098 10,029,385 44
Franklin 195,130 62% 11,135,812 20,731,533 15
Gaston 99,989 44% 2,368,739 5,291,564 70
Gates 120,294 55% 3,769,263 7,655,099 57
Graham 147,080 79% 1,456,849 4,599,140 75
Granville 230,174 68% 8,011,791 14,718,239 32
Greene 56,930 33% 2,362,689 4,673,456 73
Guilford 171,346 41% 4,871,851 13,285,627 35
Halifax 290,521 63% 11,543,755 23,826,250 12
Harnett 212,936 56% 9,409,365 16,768,982 25
Haywood 204,201 58% 756,043 2,137,956 88
Henderson 155,809 65% 1,049,975 2,615,475 84
Hertford 161,134 71% 7,920,617 15,715,177 28
Hoke 173,292 69% 5,206,917 9,695,317 45
Hyde 186,236 48% 1,701,301 4,291,016 80
Iredell 116,215 32% 4,646,743 8,243,091 52
Jackson 265,312 84% 2,278,568 6,438,337 65
Johnston 231,501 46% 6,876,625 12,717,681 38
Jones 221,557 73% 12,153,785 22,791,826 13
Lee 96,772 59% 8,177,596 14,941,109 30
Lenoir 135,181 53% 6,668,828 11,994,429 39
Lincoln 87,069 46% 3,940,234 6,978,223 61
Macon 245,610 74% 854,663 2,067,711 89
Madison 271,839 94% 863,252 2,045,237 90
Martin 216,994 74% 8,747,983 19,103,361 18
McDowell 221,972 79% 3,498,587 7,262,116 59
Mecklenburg 95,008 28% 2,646,205 5,324,747 69
Mitchell 103,735 73% 717,077 2,522,602 85
Montgomery 242,742 77% 13,537,448 25,912,021 11
Moore 313,850 70% 13,399,484 28,726,324 6
Nash 184,832 53% 9,412,160 19,077,873 19
New Hanover 36,149 29% 4,014,270 10,352,619 42
Northampton 238,560 69% 9,347,603 18,831,587 21
Onslow 343,924 71% 9,389,571 18,064,485 22
Orange 127,680 50% 426,992 1,033,761 96
Pamlico 153,232 71% 6,831,746 12,830,666 37
Pasquotank 28,666 20% 2,301,437 5,006,361 71
Pender 428,246 77% 9,831,336 19,919,859 17
Perquiman 72,687 46% 3,290,207 7,967,743 54
Person 140,280 56% 4,012,718 8,400,741 50
Pitt 167,615 40% 9,811,901 18,988,327 20
Polk 90,082 59% 1,055,677 3,213,995 82
Randolph 294,104 59% 10,681,013 20,511,177 16
Richmond 240,320 79% 13,592,814 26,184,227 10
Robeson 339,387 56% 14,589,476 28,374,757 7
Rockingham 250,352 69% 4,210,842 8,291,203 51
Rowan 137,178 42% 5,548,565 10,301,887 43
Rutherford 217,280 60% 4,983,624 11,496,217 40
Sampson 254,278 42% 8,460,179 16,095,818 27
Scotland 135,862 67% 5,668,485 10,832,686 41
Stanly 118,460 47% 4,941,785 9,044,103 46
Stokes 201,868 70% 2,795,081 5,816,060 67
Surry 201,444 59% 2,484,712 4,338,331 77
Swain 85,963 25% 327,912 567,674 97
Transylvania 213,847 88% 53,159 214,649 98
Tyrrell 102,751 41% 2,493,820 4,653,707 74
Union 153,792 38% 3,111,138 7,129,828 60
Vance 111,575 69% 3,859,792 8,993,013 47
Wake 162,317 30% 10,991,212 22,404,913 14
Warren 219,868 80% 8,438,755 17,447,355 24
Washington 98,755 45% 3,232,129 6,924,196 62
Watauga 118,368 59% 1,864,018 4,678,394 72
Wayne 169,949 48% 4,517,487 8,436,145 48
Wilkes 342,314 71% 7,703,406 14,431,561 33
Wilson 83,287 35% 4,158,192 7,753,264 55
Yadkin 83,488 39% 2,611,315 4,528,790 76
Yancey 150,795 75% 0 0 100
State Total 18,009,230 58% 577,978,257 1,157,334,028

1Timberland = forest land capable of producing in excess of 20 cubic feet per acre per year of industrial wood in natural stands. ↵

2Stumpage = price paid to landowners for standing timber. ↵

3Delivered = price paid to timber buyers upon delivery of timber to the mill. ↵

4Ranking is highest (1) to lowest (100) based on counties’ delivered income values Data sources: Retrieved from the FIA program, US Forest Service. Forest Inventory and Analysis Data (02/17/2023), 2021 Timber Products Output Data (02/20/2023), and 2021 Timber Mart South, Vol. 45. ↵

Decorative image of timber being loaded onto large truck

North Carolina Facts

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  • In 2021, the value of timber harvests (stumpage value) in NC was $578 million, down $12 million (2.2%) from 2020.
  • Wood delivered to mills represents about $1,157 million in 2021, down $25.9 million (2.2%) from 2020.

2021 Harvest Utilizationa

(million cubic feet)

Sawlogs 337
Pulpwood 261
Veneer logs 32
Composites (other industrial, bioenergy) 166

Sources: a 2021 USFS Timber Products Output Survey ↵

Area of Timberland by Ownership (Figure 1)

Forested Area of North Carolina (Figure 2)

Pie chart showing 6% state & local, 11% Federal, and 83% Private

Figure 1. Area of Timberland by Ownership

Pie chart showing 40% Non-forest land, 58% Unreserved forestland (timberland), and 2% Reserved Forest

Figure 2. Forested Area of North Carolina

 

Prepared by Robert Bardon, Ph.D.

Professor & Extension Specialist

Extension Forestry

Campus Box 8008

NC State University

Raleigh, NC 27695-8008

Author

Associate Dean of Extension, Department Extension Leader & Professor
Forestry & Environmental Resources

Find more information at the following NC State Extension websites:

Extension Forestry

Publication date: Feb. 22, 2023

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This publication printed on: Jan. 20, 2025

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