NC State Extension Publications

Timber Income Data, North Carolina, 2024

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County Acres of timberland1 Percent Timberland Stumpage Value2 Delivered Value3 Rank4
Anson 211,676 62% $ 22,088,313 $ 43,810,610 1
Montgomery 239,807 79% $ 19,720,101 $ 38,957,261 2
Beaufort 343,060 64% $ 16,558,957 $ 37,432,813 3
Bertie 321,277 72% $ 14,844,026 $ 35,522,228 4
Columbus 369,587 61% $ 13,669,809 $ 29,961,466 5
Halifax 294,095 63% $ 10,738,532 $ 27,548,828 6
Moore 320,394 70% $ 13,147,938 $ 26,962,536 7
Brunswick 376,089 73% $ 12,691,020 $ 26,919,540 8
Richmond 235,013 80% $ 11,567,034 $ 25,630,869 9
Pitt 160,899 39% $ 11,041,321 $ 24,843,942 10
Craven 280,202 59% $ 11,506,093 $ 24,448,972 11
Jones 222,387 74% $ 11,960,939 $ 24,423,123 12
Warren 211,454 81% $ 9,914,707 $ 23,314,934 13
Randolph 279,799 56% $ 9,594,020 $ 23,288,767 14
Bladen 393,731 71% $ 10,249,193 $ 23,107,743 15
Wake 162,807 31% $ 9,082,307 $ 23,019,879 16
Northampton 239,668 70% $ 10,233,759 $ 22,834,696 17
Granville 233,855 68% $ 8,237,798 $ 21,592,374 18
Martin 213,257 72% $ 9,670,446 $ 21,291,706 19
Pender 425,253 77% $ 8,674,881 $ 21,047,414 20
Iredell 114,864 32% $ 7,158,461 $ 20,642,219 21
Chatham 253,771 58% $ 7,450,137 $ 19,836,381 22
Hertford 155,429 71% $ 7,555,391 $ 19,401,411 23
Harnett 206,492 54% $ 9,064,802 $ 18,935,902 24
Sampson 247,399 42% $ 7,827,683 $ 18,374,528 25
Onslow 349,280 72% $ 7,842,718 $ 16,961,980 26
Duplin 265,530 51% $ 7,116,966 $ 16,949,338 27
Rowan 129,223 40% $ 7,022,926 $ 16,662,515 28
Franklin 182,295 58% $ 7,064,072 $ 15,739,167 29
Caswell 188,470 71% $ 3,857,127 $ 14,774,292 30
Edgecombe 176,170 53% $ 6,275,090 $ 14,766,218 31
Person 143,368 56% $ 3,554,620 $ 14,638,371 32
Wilkes 347,842 71% $ 4,926,967 $ 13,592,371 33
Nash 182,818 53% $ 5,852,558 $ 13,524,664 34
Cumberland 224,375 55% $ 5,774,770 $ 13,136,469 35
Burke 232,808 72% $ 4,593,097 $ 13,004,999 36
Gates 120,654 55% $ 5,394,626 $ 12,602,373 37
Cabarrus 77,370 35% $ 5,020,261 $ 12,512,238 38
Pamlico 150,873 70% $ 6,306,320 $ 12,358,659 39
Lenoir 130,508 51% $ 5,728,322 $ 11,932,790 40
Robeson 347,687 57% $ 3,856,598 $ 11,579,484 41
Johnston 228,729 45% $ 5,102,017 $ 11,398,285 42
Davidson 195,383 53% $ 4,798,348 $ 11,318,888 43
Stanly 98,660 43% $ 4,690,050 $ 11,099,809 44
Rockingham 233,167 67% $ 3,685,494 $ 10,995,843 45
Rutherford 221,031 64% $ 4,078,245 $ 10,954,810 46
Mecklenburg 90,754 27% $ 3,503,771 $ 10,529,799 47
Union 156,661 38% $ 3,729,062 $ 10,455,069 48
Scotland 136,678 66% $ 3,245,847 $ 9,279,295 49
Lee 94,769 58% $ 3,988,649 $ 8,848,327 50
Perquiman 71,255 45% $ 3,667,924 $ 8,823,442 51
Mitchell 109,708 78% $ 2,971,929 $ 8,632,400 52
Yadkin 83,944 39% $ 2,898,192 $ 7,922,881 53
Yancey 146,795 78% $ 2,868,869 $ 7,844,019 54
Wilson 76,796 35% $ 3,746,945 $ 7,602,441 55
Alamance 132,862 51% $ 2,949,278 $ 7,589,918 56
Caldwell 235,849 79% $ 2,816,817 $ 7,490,561 57
Chowan 51,793 47% $ 2,912,539 $ 7,076,839 58
Surry 201,400 60% $ 2,356,464 $ 6,906,357 59
Cleveland 141,642 47% $ 2,125,769 $ 6,643,957 60
Hoke 178,970 71% $ 2,215,957 $ 6,416,051 61
Wayne 164,836 48% $ 2,833,474 $ 6,373,169 62
Stokes 184,588 65% $ 1,924,329 $ 6,007,572 63
Washington 89,724 45% $ 2,321,364 $ 5,933,173 64
Catawba 87,645 32% $ 1,812,334 $ 5,525,760 65
Vance 115,190 71% $ 2,199,778 $ 5,523,079 66
Guilford 169,111 41% $ 1,704,151 $ 5,173,795 67
Ashe 176,288 64% $ 2,137,679 $ 5,138,810 68
Gaston 90,873 42% $ 1,817,031 $ 5,066,027 69
McDowell 222,873 79% $ 1,883,465 $ 5,042,945 70
Orange 130,856 51% $ 1,839,187 $ 4,336,793 71
Greene 55,864 33% $ 1,739,312 $ 4,006,424 72
Watauga 119,230 59% $ 1,340,322 $ 3,837,585 73
Alexander 108,028 64% $ 1,474,170 $ 3,741,910 74
Haywood 200,489 56% $ 1,319,947 $ 3,252,487 75
Davie 73,336 43% $ 1,156,197 $ 3,157,410 76
Forsyth 94,531 38% $ 1,034,451 $ 3,108,073 77
Carteret 139,255 47% $ 1,521,320 $ 3,021,562 78
Lincoln 88,996 46% $ 1,351,022 $ 2,923,689 79
Polk 85,479 56% $ 964,815 $ 2,509,339 80
Madison 268,119 93% $ 865,931 $ 2,471,320 81
Avery 122,584 78% $ 845,037 $ 2,465,161 82
Hyde 180,275 44% $ 931,985 $ 2,379,612 83
Pasquotank 27,153 19% $ 696,244 $ 2,307,095 84
Durham 91,517 49% $ 612,970 $ 2,290,663 85
Swain 81,283 26% $ 1,009,742 $ 2,151,555 86
Buncombe 217,829 53% $ 818,624 $ 2,056,736 87
Tyrrell 109,235 44% $ 698,951 $ 1,886,748 88
Cherokee 259,236 88% $ 650,143 $ 1,663,464 89
Henderson 142,278 59% $ 587,935 $ 1,648,449 90
Jackson 261,585 83% $ 567,864 $ 1,415,991 91
New Hanover 30,670 25% $ 444,283 $ 1,289,973 92
Camden 74,611 48% $ 474,310 $ 859,783 93
Alleghany 70,143 46% $ 378,011 $ 816,605 94
Currituck 35,397 21% $ 266,280 $ 519,712 95
Clay 88,168 64% $ 112,318 $ 187,145 96
Macon 243,699 73% $ 110,674 $ 184,205 97
Dare 47,662 20% $ 14,688 $ 55,450 98
Graham 146,843 78% $ - $ - 99
Transylvania 211,386 88% $ - $ - 100
State Total 17,755,247 57% $ 485,247,207 $ 1,156,044,328

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 2.1.5, Forest Inventory and Analysis Data (Retrieved 01/22/2025), Timber Products Output Data (Retrieved 01/22/2025), and 2024 Timber Mart South, Vol. 49.

North Carolina Facts

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  • In 2024, the value of timber harvests (stumpage value) in North Carolina was $485.2 million, down 2.9%, or $14.6 million, from 2023.
  • Wood delivered to mills represents about $1,156 million in 2024, down 0.1%, or $1.38 million, from 2023.

2024 Harvest Utilizationa

(million cubic feet)

Sawlogs 334
Pulpwood 230
Veneer logs 30
Composites (other industrial, bioenergy) 161

Sources: aUSDA Forest Service Timber Products Output Data


Figure 1. Distribution of unreserved forest, reserved forest and non-forest land in North Carolina, 2024

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.

Figure 2. Area of timberland by ownership in North Carolina, 2024

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.


Pie chart showing percentage of unreserved forest (58%), reserved forest (2%) and non-forest (40%) land in North Carolina in 2024.

Distribution of unreserved forest, reserved forest and non-forest land in North Carolina, 2024

Pie chart showing the 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, 2024

Author

Associate Dean for Extension, Professor
Forestry & Environmental Resources

Find more information at the following NC State Extension websites:

Publication date: Jan. 29, 2026

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N.C. Cooperative Extension prohibits discrimination and harassment regardless of age, color, disability, family and marital status, gender identity, national origin, political beliefs, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation and veteran status.