Date of Award

Spring 5-10-2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science - Forestry

Department

Forestry

First Advisor

Dr. Anusha Shrestha

Second Advisor

Dr. Matthew W McBroom

Third Advisor

Dr. Xufang Zhang

Abstract

The logging sector plays a critical role in the wood supply chain and in forest management. It connects forest resources with mills, who consequently use that wood to manufacture a multitude of products. A better understanding of the state of logging businesses among policymakers is crucial in sustaining this industry. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the economic contribution (2021) and economic contribution trend (2012-2021) of the logging sector in East Texas using Impact Analysis for Planning (IMPLAN). Furthermore, this study determined the current status of this sector using online and mail surveys. IMPLAN results showed that the logging sector contributed 3,860 total jobs, $178 million in total labor income, $216 million in total value added, and $365 million in total output in 2021. The total economic contribution from 2012 to 2021 was determined which provided insights that, on average, the contribution has increased over the past decade with an additional 972 jobs, $62 million in labor income, $101 million in value added, and $165 million in output. Based on the surveys data, 87% of respondents were the owners of logging businesses, with an average age of 54 years and 77% had been in the business for more than 20 years. Logging business owners were not able to operate at their full capacity due to various constraints such as equipment breakdowns, mill quotas, trucking availability. Further, 51% of the harvested volume came from corporate owned forests and 62% used own trucks to transport their harvested volume. The results will be useful to provide an update to the sector’s economic data and a baseline for gathering additional information about logging businesses in East Texas.

Keywords: Timber harvesting, input-output model, location quotient, occupational data, COVID-19, logger survey.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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