Georgia 2010 Wood-Using Industries Update

Transcription

1 Georgia 2010 Wood-Using Industries Update From February to August 2010, Georgia Forestry Commission Forest Utilization & Marketing foresters conducted a bi-annual survey of Georgia s primary wood-using industries. Primary industries convert logs into primary wood products such as lumber, veneer or sheathing, poles & posts, etc. This fact sheet provides an overview of the 2010 survey results: mill type data is from 2010; utilization and production data is from Unless otherwise noted, pulp mills are excluded in this update. Mill Type As of September 1, 2010 there were 129 primary wood-using mills in operation in Georgia, as shown in Figure 1. Since the previous survey in 2008, 8 new mills began operations, 2 mills reopened, 11 mills closed, 9 mills were idled waiting for business markets to improve, and 3 mills changed from primary to secondary mills. Of Georgia s 159 counties, 75 counties have one or more primary wood-using mills; 84 counties have zero mills. Figure 1 Page 1 of 8

2 Species Utilization In 2009, 63 of 129 mills or 49% of the total wood-using mills utilized pine species only, as shown in Figure 2. Figure 2 Page 2 of 8

3 Residue Utilization for Energy Production In 2009, 51 of 129 mills or 40% of the total wood-using mills internally utilized wood mill residues for energy, as shown in Figure 3. Wood mill residues include bark, chips, sawdust & shavings. The type and number of biomass energy systems in the 51 mills included: Direct wood-fired kilns 13 Wood-fired boilers 35 Dryers (rotary or inline) 7 Gasifiers 1 Cogeneration plants 2 Figure 3 Page 3 of 8

4 Production & Mill Size All Mills In 2009, 43 of 129 mills or 33% of the total wood-using mills produced less than 1 million board feet of production while 23 mills produced more than 50 million board feet, as shown in Figure 4. Figure 4 Page 4 of 8

5 Production & Mill Size Softwood Sawmills In 2009, 35 softwood sawmills produced 1,787 MMBF, a decline of 22% or 515 MMBF from 2007 production of 2,302 MMBF. Softwood sawmills by mill size and volume & percent of production for 2009 are shown in Figure 5; the tally of softwood sawmills by mill size alone is shown in Figure 6. Figure 5 Figure 6 Page 5 of 8

6 Production & Mill Size Hardwood & Hardwood/Softwood Sawmills In 2009, 48 hardwood and hardwood/softwood sawmills produced 334 MMBF, a decline of 5% or 16 MMBF from 2007 production of 350 MMBF. Hardwood and hardwood/softwood sawmills by mill size and volume & percent of production for 2009 are shown in Figure 7; the tally of hardwood and hardwood/softwood sawmills by mill size alone is shown in Figure 8. Figure 7 Figure 8 Page 6 of 8

7 Primary Wood-Using Mill Trends From 1971 to 2009, the number of primary wood-using mills in Georgia (pulp mills included) has declined by 62%, or 227 mills, as shown in Figure 9. Trends for specific mill types are shown below: o Sawmills declined from 301 to 83 mills o Veneer mills declined from 23 to 6 mills o Pulp mills declined from 15 to 12 mills o Other miscellaneous mills increased from 29 to 40 mills Figure 9 Page 7 of 8

8 Although the number of primary wood-using mills dramatically declined from , mill production or output averaged 9.2 and 1.9 million cubic feet, respectively, for softwoods & hardwoods, as shown in Figure 10. Figure 10 Figure 10 Source: Historical Trends of Timber Product Output in the South.Johnson, et al.resource Bulletin SRS-138. Asheville, NC:USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station For more information about Wood-Using Industries in Georgia visit the Georgia Forestry Commission website at GaTrees.org. The mission of the Georgia Forestry Commission Forest Utilization program is to sustain the economic viability of forest land ownership in Georgia. Assistance is provided to businesses and forest landowners by: - marketing Georgia s forest resources to attract new industries - providing marketing, technical, and forest resource procurement support to existing industries - establishing new product development and markets for Georgia s forest resources Compiled by: Risher Willard, Forest Utilization, Georgia Forestry Commission, March 9, 2011 Page 8 of 8