Kentucky Forest Sector Economic Contribution Report for 2022-2023

The Kentucky Forest Sector Economic Contribution Report for 2022-2023 is now available online or as a downloadable PDF.

The economic impact of forestry in Kentucky continues to grow. A few notable findings are:

The report from the University of Kentucky's Forestry and Natural Resources department states that the forest sector in Kentucky contributed $18.6 billion in 2022 & 2023, with an estimated direct contributions of $12.5 billion in direct contributions.
The total Kentucky forest sector total contribution for 2023 has increased by over $4 billion since 2021
This increase reflects increased wages throughout all sub-sectors, strength in the stave and cooperage area, and some other industry changes covered in the methodology section of the report.
Workforce issues and labor shortages continue to be limiting factors for industry growth.