After accounting for bad addresses, non-loggers, etc., response rates for all studies were high. The 2016 response rate of 62%, similar to the 2003 and 2010 surveys that yielded 59% and 63%, respectively. However, the two prior surveys included follow-up calls that reduced the effective sample size (i.e., many who received questionnaire and didn’t respond […]

Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) is a federal program that allows non-federal land managers to complete forest practices, including timber harvesting, on the National Forests. Due to limited staffing, the USDA Forest Service is unable to complete all the forest practices it would like to and this program allows others to assist. Though non-federal land managers […]

To manage forest health concerns in the forests, guidelines are often developed to minimize the threat increasing the spread during timber harvesting. Specifically, Wisconsin had recently adopted guidelines for two disease threats: Heterobasidion root disease (aka, annosum root rot) and oak wilt. Heterobasidion affects conifers, while, as the name implies, oak wilts affects oaks, though […]

Wisconsin’s logging businesses produce a diverse array of forest products, but hardwood pulp has been the largest portion of the volume harvested: 44% in 2003 and 49% in both 2010 and 2016.  This dominance reflects continued demand from the region’s pulp and paper industry and abundant hardwood forests. In general, the distribution of harvested products […]

In total, logging businesses that responded to survey worked on over 3,000 timber sales in 2016. We estimate that their work affected over 125,000 acres with an average timber sale size of 42 acres. In comparison to the prior surveys (2003 [blue] and 2010 [red]), the distribution of timber sales by timber sale area in […]

Various landownership categories contribute to the state’s timber supply. Where a logging business is located has a big impact on which lands they harvest from. However, other factors also figure into the decision, including the different expectations that landowners have for loggers (e.g., certified land can have more requirements, but fill an important market niche). […]

The harvesting of timber and the scheduling of logging operations are determined by surrounding environmental conditions. In Wisconsin, extreme cold events during winter can impact equipment or make it impossible to operate. Regulatory practices can also impact the scheduling of logging operations. Logging equipment can adversely impact soil conditions and adherence to Best Management Practices […]

One of the most common workforce issues in forestry is the aging workforce. The logging workforce story in Wisconsin has two novel and important components, the age of owners and employees and the use of subcontractors. A previous post discussed the demographics of the owners. The median age in 2016 was 56 years for logging […]

Transportation and how it is accomplished are important concerns for logging businesses. It is expensive to move logging equipment to the job site and to transport logs and other products to mills. Except for the smallest logging businesses, timber sale sites are typically located 31-60 miles away from the primary business location in Wisconsin. Interestingly, […]

As most people familiar with the logging sector know, capital investment is an essential component. Capital is needed for equipment and, for most businesses, the purchase of stumpage (i.e., the rights to cut standing trees). In the most recent questionnaire, we altered how we asked questions about capital investment, thus comparisons to prior studies isn’t […]