Kentucky Forest Sector Economic Contribution

5/17/2021

Forests cover nearly half the state of Kentucky and are the foundation of a forest sector that is a major economic force in the Commonwealth. This webpage contains the latest Kentucky forest sector economic contribution estimates, prior estimates, links to data sources and methods, as well as additional information related to the economic importance of Kentucky’s forest resources.

The 2020 economic contributions of Kentucky’s forest sector include:

$9.55 billion in direct economic contribution
$13.97 billion in total economic contributions
27,000 jobs in the forest sector and an estimated 53,000 jobs overall

The Kentucky Forest Sector is divided into six sub-sectors:

Logging
Primary Wood Manufacturing
Pulp and Paper
Secondary Wood Manufacturing
Paper Converters
Wood Residue

Each of these sub-sectors is comprised of multiple forest businesses.

These figures show the direct employment and direct economic contribution of each of the Kentucky forest sub-sectors.

Distribution of Kentucky’s Forest Sector

Kentucky’s forests, which are mostly privately owned, provide the majority of the timber for the Kentucky forest sector which processes it into many useful products used throughout the state and around the world. The economic contribution comes from timber resources in all 120 counties.

Over 2,600 Kentucky Master Loggers were responsible for this harvest.

The wood was processed at 671 wood, paper, and paper converting manufacturing facilities located in 112 counties. The distribution of these facilities indicates the importance of the forest sector to both rural and urban communities.

For more details about the report click on one of the following links:

Other Economic Information:

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