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2022 Income of North Carolina Timber Harvested and Delivered to Mills

Timber Income Data, North Carolina, 2022

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County Acres of timberland1 Percent Timberland Stumpage Value2 Delivered Value3 Rank4
Alamance 138,741 51% 4,741,139 8,272,314 53
Alexander 103,335 62% 2,445,618 4,344,719 77
Alleghany 69,667 46% 2,088,799 4,218,852 80
Anson 208,585 61% 22,943,037 42,358,600 1
Ashe 174,382 64% 2,339,264 4,452,246 75
Avery 124,062 78% 1,736,015 2,894,660 89
Beaufort 347,930 65% 18,452,350 37,690,864 4
Bertie 321,437 72% 18,216,801 40,362,832 2
Bladen 406,974 73% 14,182,461 28,554,621 11
Brunswick 415,191 76% 16,498,644 31,290,036 7
Buncombe 223,600 53% 2,520,955 4,594,464 73
Burke 234,884 72% 2,972,551 6,264,984 63
Cabarrus 93,560 40% 4,433,888 7,797,544 55
Caldwell 239,692 79% 5,141,053 8,672,538 51
Camden 72,286 47% 339,849 630,301 98
Carteret 163,931 50% 5,987,045 10,826,139 45
Caswell 192,594 71% 3,321,905 8,414,926 52
Catawba 81,319 32% 2,116,867 4,864,678 69
Chatham 252,733 58% 9,709,427 21,047,702 19
Cherokee 255,671 88% 2,124,874 4,461,394 74
Chowan 51,570 47% 1,475,337 3,948,903 82
Clay 87,369 63% 686,237 1,915,992 92
Cleveland 140,512 47% 1,737,786 4,762,713 71
Columbus 369,647 62% 17,411,354 38,153,055 3
Craven 272,567 60% 13,815,986 26,443,863 12
Cumberland 228,621 55% 5,406,003 11,647,728 42
Currituck 39,772 24% 160,964 335,549 99
Dare 53,036 22% 59,373 157,685 100
Davidson 183,235 52% 11,332,152 20,812,464 20
Davie 72,865 43% 4,493,002 8,031,905 54
Duplin 263,274 50% 7,357,111 15,390,371 30
Durham 87,707 48% 242,712 903,949 95
Edgecombe 169,916 53% 5,723,337 13,631,318 35
Forsyth 105,411 40% 1,896,607 3,481,585 86
Franklin 184,673 59% 12,009,572 23,535,957 17
Gaston 96,857 43% 861,110 1,886,847 93
Gates 120,154 55% 6,184,232 15,027,872 32
Graham 147,395 79% 836,050 1,756,322 94
Granville 230,262 68% 6,196,214 12,925,989 39
Greene 57,052 33% 2,037,326 4,724,011 72
Guilford 172,449 42% 2,741,896 5,129,994 66
Halifax 291,503 63% 12,571,736 29,693,287 8
Harnett 208,671 55% 14,191,050 24,934,827 15
Haywood 204,837 58% 1,804,105 4,026,493 81
Henderson 146,263 61% 4,100,983 7,112,907 59
Hertford 160,912 71% 5,595,408 13,020,223 38
Hoke 173,670 70% 5,956,859 11,896,953 41
Hyde 179,173 46% 4,551,910 9,829,447 48
Iredell 118,644 32% 6,181,233 12,527,601 40
Jackson 266,007 85% 1,298,688 2,119,788 91
Johnston 228,991 45% 6,751,705 13,708,400 34
Jones 222,170 74% 10,719,303 21,437,439 18
Lee 97,353 60% 10,072,733 17,398,204 26
Lenoir 131,377 51% 4,467,795 8,699,908 50
Lincoln 87,650 46% 1,393,473 2,590,180 90
Macon 240,699 73% 1,720,338 3,574,912 84
Madison 272,915 95% 2,508,602 4,243,135 79
Martin 211,478 72% 10,956,842 23,555,073 16
McDowell 221,704 79% 3,411,518 6,601,044 62
Mecklenburg 95,480 28% 2,887,071 5,398,150 64
Mitchell 103,937 73% 3,417,647 6,620,565 61
Montgomery 244,349 78% 19,834,539 35,187,263 5
Moore 306,305 69% 17,448,294 32,543,135 6
Nash 183,045 53% 8,283,487 17,885,609 25
New Hanover 36,218 29% 2,011,605 3,616,931 83
Northampton 242,906 71% 8,317,409 18,471,230 24
Onslow 348,930 72% 7,503,383 15,921,535 28
Orange 128,526 51% 1,739,486 3,379,857 87
Pamlico 153,115 71% 9,986,091 18,484,271 23
Pasquotank 27,032 19% 1,531,949 3,507,003 85
Pender 426,479 76% 11,472,385 25,653,534 13
Perquiman 72,644 46% 2,309,733 4,934,436 68
Person 140,490 56% 3,577,700 9,020,032 49
Pitt 162,021 39% 8,956,356 18,738,213 22
Polk 84,455 56% 2,053,066 4,387,811 76
Randolph 279,161 56% 15,771,494 28,881,148 9
Richmond 240,687 79% 15,184,583 28,634,301 10
Robeson 344,924 57% 5,305,828 13,314,578 37
Rockingham 246,196 68% 3,410,729 7,260,097 57
Rowan 135,492 41% 8,207,765 15,096,743 31
Rutherford 224,143 62% 3,569,431 7,412,838 56
Sampson 253,326 42% 9,092,621 18,819,507 21
Scotland 135,500 66% 5,646,440 11,421,097 43
Stanly 112,798 45% 5,274,679 10,416,530 47
Stokes 191,043 66% 2,214,779 4,261,658 78
Surry 209,534 61% 3,630,226 7,136,679 58
Swain 92,159 27% 380,890 650,041 97
Transylvania 213,755 88% 461,716 791,899 96
Tyrrell 108,758 43% 2,295,028 5,265,387 65
Union 154,888 38% 2,461,668 4,793,454 70
Vance 112,747 70% 1,887,029 5,012,457 67
Wake 165,143 31% 8,219,407 15,483,010 29
Warren 227,436 83% 12,348,575 25,296,030 14
Washington 98,925 45% 5,306,606 10,871,880 44
Watauga 118,538 59% 1,820,911 3,023,496 88
Wayne 168,880 48% 6,969,608 13,453,511 36
Wilkes 342,277 71% 8,295,409 14,796,699 33
Wilson 82,906 35% 5,593,016 10,721,555 46
Yadkin 83,954 39% 3,520,857 6,646,582 60
Yancey 151,123 76% 9,769,675 15,940,393 27
State Total 17,969,160 58% 611,200,356 1,222,739,454

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: US Forest Service, Evalidator Version 2.1.0, Forest Inventory and Analysis Data (Retrieved 01/12/2024), 2022 Timber Products Output Survey, and 2022 Timber Mart South, Vol. 47.

North Carolina Facts

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  • In 2022, the value of timber harvests (stumpage value) in NC was $611 million, up 5.7 ($33.2 million) from 2021.
  • Wood delivered to mills represents about $1,223 million in 2022, up $65,405 million (5.7%) from 2021.

2022 Harvest Utilizationa

(million cubic feet)

Sawlogs 338
Pulpwood 249
Veneer logs 55
Composites (other industrial, bioenergy) 146

Sources: a 2021 USFS Timber Products Output Survey ↵

Distribution of unreserved forest, reserved forest and non-forest land in North Carolina, 2022

North Carolina is over 30.9 million acres of land that is distributed between reserved forest land (2%) unreserved forest land (58%) and non-forest land (40%). Reserved forestland is withdrawn from the potential to be managed for wood products through statute or administrative designation. Examples include designated Federal wilderness areas, national parks and monuments, and most State parks. Unreserved forest land is available to be managed for production of wood products.

Area of Timberland by Ownership

North Carolina has approximately 18 million acres of unreserved forestland that is classifed as timberland; which is unreserved forestland capable of producing 20 cubic feet or more of commercial timber. Of the 18 million acres 85 percent is privately owned, 8 percent is owned by the federal government and 7 percent is owned by state and local governments.

Distribution of timberland by ownership, 85% private landowner, 8% Federal government, and 7% State and Local governments

Area of timberland by ownership in North Carolina, 2022

Pie chart showing percentage of unreserved forest (58%), reserved forest (2%) and non-forest (40%) land in North Carolina in 2022.

Distribution of unreserved forest, reserved forest and non-forest land in North Carolina, 2022

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: Jan. 17, 2024

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This publication printed on: April 28, 2024

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