Forestry

An Integrated Link

The LESMD Region’s forestry industry is highly integrated into other industries in the local economy, with the value of standing timber being multiplied when converted into further processed products. Nearly all timber supplying local mills is grown locally, with the majority of the resulting products sold outside the region – due in part to the fact that local sawmills are closer in proximity to markets in the Northeast US than competing southern mills. Among the products produced and sold locally are animal bedding from wood shavings, critical to the poultry industry, and pressure treated lumber and piling for marine construction – important to the commercial and sport fishing industries. The primary commercial species is loblolly pine with oak, poplar, maple and sweet gum making up the majority of the balance.

Forestry in the LESMD Region annually contributes nearly $320 million to the state economy (9.2% of state forestry impact), supported 1,369 jobs (9.0% of state forestry job impact), and added $11.8 million in combined state and local tax revenue (9% of state forestry tax impact).  See The Impact of Resource Based Industries on the Maryland Economy 2018. 

An overall strategic approach to strengthening the economic resiliency of the forestry industry in Maryland has recently produced a number of useful resources. In 2020 the Forestry Industry Resource Viewer was developed using GIS-centric data in a dashboard form. Of use to investors, existing wood industries and economic development professionals, this tool identifies everything from accessible roads and nearby processors to species type and size of stand. In 2021 the Maryland Forestry Industry Economic Adjustment Strategy was issued, providing an additional strategy-oriented resource.

Some of the LESMD Forest Industry Companies