NC State Extension Publications

Introduction

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North Carolina has about 19 million acres of timberland, which supports a robust forest products industry across the state. The forest sector, including forestry and logging, primary and secondary forest product and furniture industries, is the top employer among manufacturing sectors in North Carolina. In 2022, the NC forest sector contributed $42.5 billion, supporting approximately 152,000 jobs with a payroll of $10.1 billion. This publication breaks down how the forest sector contributed to the North Carolina economy in 2022, including employment, labor income, and more for North Carolina’s 14 congressional districts (Figure 1). To learn more about the contribution the forest sector has to North Carolina’s economy visit Economic Impact Data.

Map of North Carolina's 14 congressional districts

North Carolina's 14 Congressional Districts (Enacted in 2023)

North Carolina Gnereal Assembly S.L. 2023-145 Congress

Forestry in North Carolina’s Congressional District 1

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58% Forested.

Area of the district that is forested. 89% (2.8 million acres) of the forests are privately owned

8,982 Jobs Supported.

Total employment includes direct, indirect and jobs supported by expenditures

$544.9 Million in income.

Including wages, benefits and proprietor income

$2,931 Million in output.

Total annual value of production of the industry

Forestry in North Carolina’s Congressional District 2

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31% Forested.

Area of the district that is forested. 74% (0.80 million acres) of the forests are privately owned

1,592 Jobs Supported.

Total employment includes direct, indirect and jobs supported by expenditures

$121.0 Million in income.

Including wages, benefits and proprietor income

$523 Million in output.

Total annual value of production of the industry

Forestry in North Carolina’s Congressional District 3

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59% Forested.

Area of the district that is forested. 75% (1.91 million acres) of the forests are privately owned

4,776 Jobs Supported.

Total employment includes direct, indirect and jobs supported by expenditures

$293.9 Million in income.

Including wages, benefits and proprietor income

$1,441 Million in output.

Total annual value of production of the industry

Forestry in North Carolina’s Congressional District 4

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49% Forested.

Area of the district that is forested. 87% (0.33 million acres) of the forests are privately owned

2,466 Jobs Supported.

Total employment includes direct, indirect and jobs supported by expenditures

$173.0 Million in income.

Including wages, benefits and proprietor income

$754 Million in output.

Total annual value of production of the industry

Forestry in North Carolina’s Congressional District 5

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65% Forested.

Area of the district that is forested. 92% (1.63 million acres) of the forests are privately owned

13,139 Jobs Supported.

Total employment includes direct, indirect and jobs supported by expenditures

$732.9 Million in income.

Including wages, benefits and proprietor income

$3,323 Million in output.

Total annual value of production of the industry

Forestry in North Carolina’s Congressional District 6

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45% Forested.

Area of the district that is forested. 95% (1.36 million acres) of the forests are privately owned

13,565 Jobs Supported.

Total employment includes direct, indirect and jobs supported by expenditures

$907.1 Million in income.

Including wages, benefits and proprietor income

$3,963 Million in output.

Total annual value of production of the industry

Forestry in North Carolina’s Congressional District 7

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67% Forested.

Area of the district that is forested. 92% (1.75 million acres) of the forests are privately owned

3,068 Jobs Supported.

Total employment includes direct, indirect and jobs supported by expenditures

$178.6 Million in income.

Including wages, benefits and proprietor income

$890.8 Million in output.

Total annual value of production of the industry

Forestry in North Carolina’s Congressional District 8

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59% Forested.

Area of the district that is forested. 90% (1.26 million acres) of the forests are privately owned

11,633 Jobs Supported.

Total employment includes direct, indirect and jobs supported by expenditures

$756.6 Million in income.

Including wages, benefits and proprietor income

$3,794 Million in output.

Total annual value of production of the industry

Forestry in North Carolina’s Congressional District 9

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60% Forested.

Area of the district that is forested. 86% (1.0 million acres) of the forests are privately owned

12,649 Jobs Supported.

Total employment includes direct, indirect and jobs supported by expenditures

$713.3 Million in income.

Including wages, benefits and proprietor income

$3,225 Million in output.

Total annual value of production of the industry

Forestry in North Carolina’s Congressional District 10

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37% Forested.

Area of the district that is forested. 99% (0.44 million acres) of the forests are privately owned

25,217 Jobs Supported.

Total employment includes direct, indirect and jobs supported by expenditures

$1,607.7 Million in income.

Including wages, benefits and proprietor income

$6,696 Million in output.

Total annual value of production of the industry

Forestry in North Carolina’s Congressional District 11

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78% Forested.

Area of the district that is forested. 58% (1.82 million acres) of the forests are privately owned

6,880 Jobs Supported.

Total employment includes direct, indirect and jobs supported by expenditures

$413.6 Million in income.

Including wages, benefits and proprietor income

$2,325 Million in output.

Total annual value of production of the industry

Forestry in North Carolina’s Congressional District 12

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28% Forested.

Area of the district that is forested. 69% (0.44 million acres) of the forests are privately owned

3,863 Jobs Supported.

Total employment includes direct, indirect and jobs supported by expenditures

$342.0 Million in income.

Including wages, benefits and proprietor income

$1,318 Million in output.

Total annual value of production of the industry

Forestry in North Carolina’s Congressional District 13

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60% Forested.

Area of the district that is forested. 94% (0.97 million acres) of the forests are privately owned

3,224 Jobs Supported.

Total employment includes direct, indirect and jobs supported by expenditures

$184.1 Million in income.

Including wages, benefits and proprietor income

$853 Million in output.

Total annual value of production of the industry

Forestry in North Carolina’s Congressional District 14

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56% Forested.

Area of the district that is forested. 83% (0.53 million acres) of the forests are privately owned

8,305 Jobs Supported.

Total employment includes direct, indirect and jobs supported by expenditures

$512.7 Million in income.

Including wages, benefits and proprietor income

$2,247 Million in output.

Total annual value of production of the industry

Footnote

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1Economic contribution numbers, based on multi-industry contribution analysis, are reported in 2022 dollars. The method of internal adjustments to the IMPLAN software was used, and more details about the analysis method can be obtained from Parajuli et al. (2018). IMPLAN sectors included 15, 16, 19 (partial), 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 365, 366, 367, 370, 371, and 373.

Acknowledgement

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This publication is funded in part by the Renewable Resources Extension Act (RREA)

Authors

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

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Publication date: Aug. 21, 2019

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