With nearly 23 million acres of timberland, Alabama’s forested land is larger than Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island— combined.  In fact, Alabama’s forests are so fertile that the growth of softwood and hardwoods consistently outpaces their removal rates.

The industry’s scope is massive in Alabama, with the total value of industry shipments exceeding $12.4 billion in 2018, according to the American Forest & Paper Association. Alabama employment in forestry and logging, wood products, and pulp and paper totaled 36,000 that year, with annual payroll income topping $2.1 billion. The state is home to over 100 manufacturing facilities including sawmills, paper mills and other production sites.

With $1.3 billion of Alabama forest products exported in 2019, there’s still plenty of opportunity to be found in the industry. And that’s just what’s happening. Alabama’s forest products industry has consistently attracted significant new capital investment in recent years, including almost $500 million in 2019, generating nearly 500 new jobs.