Forest Service | December 2017

e-S c i e n c e U p d a t e S RS-132

Alabama’s

Timber Industry—Timber Product Output and Use, 2015

1

for the specified resource area, State, or region. The Excel® core 

tables and figures that complement this science update are available 

on the TPO database. The system is available through the FIA Web 

site: https://www.fs.usda.gov/srsfia/. 

The SRS gratefully acknowledges the tremendous cooperation and 

assistance provided by the Alabama Forestry Commission in 

collecting mill data. Appreciation is also extended to forest industry 

and mill managers for providing timber products information. 

Product and

species group 2013 2015 Change Change

percent

 Softwood 252,231 282,589 30,358 12.0

 Hardwood 46,180 55,217 9,037 19.6

 Total 298,411 337,806 39,395 13.2

 Softwood 30,949 38,553 7,604 24.6

 Hardwood 9,317 9,782 465 5.0

 Total 40,266 48,335 8,069 20.0

 Softwood 455,182 452,073 -3,109 -0.7

 Hardwood 159,704 146,104 -13,600 -8.5

 Total 614,886 598,177 -16,709 -2.7

 Softwood 34,481 43,204 8,723 25.3

 Hardwood 6,608 6,609 1 0.0

 Total 41,089 49,813 8,724 21.2

Bioenergy

Softwood 28,260 45,899 17,639 62.4

Hardwood 3,826 11,937 8,111 211.9

Total 32,086 57,836 25,750 80.2

 Softwood 10,778 11,873 1,095 10.2

 Hardwood 59 65 6 10.2

 Total 10,837 11,938 1,101 10.2

 Softwood 811,882 874,185 62,303 7.7

 Hardwood 221,868 229,649 7,781 3.5

 Total 1,033,750 1,103,834 70,084 6.8

Pulpwood

Composite panels

Other Industrial 

All industrial

Table 1—Output of industrial products by product and 

species group, Alabama, 2013 and 2015.

Year

 - - - - thousand cubic feet - - - - 

Saw logs

Veneer logs

Introduction

This science update contains the findings of a 2015 canvass of all 

primary wood-using plants in Alabama, and presents changes in 

product output and residue use since 2013. It complements the 

Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) annual inventory of volume 

and removals from the State’s timberland. The canvass was conducted to determine the amount and source of wood receipts and 

annual timber product drain, by county, in 2015 and to determine 

interstate and cross-regional movement of industrial roundwood. 

Only primary wood-using mills were canvassed. Primary mills are 

those that process roundwood in log or bolt form or as chipped 

roundwood. Examples of industrial roundwood products are saw 

logs, pulpwood, veneer logs, poles, and logs used for composite 

board products. Mills producing products from residues generated 

at primary and secondary processors were not canvassed. Trees 

chipped in the woods were included in the estimate of timber drain 

only if they were delivered to a primary domestic manufacturer. 

A 100-percent canvass of all wood processors in Alabama was 

conducted in 2016 to obtain information for 2015. In addition, 

roundwood from out-of-State mills known to be using logs or bolts 

harvested from Alabama timberland was incorporated into Alabama production estimates. Each mill was canvassed by mail or 

through personal contact at plant locations. Telephone contacts 

followed mailed questionnaire responses when additional information or clarification of a response was necessary. In the event of 

a nonresponse, data collected in previous surveys were updated 

using current data collected for mills of similar size, product type, 

and location. Surveys for all timber products other than pulpwood 

began in 1961, and are currently conducted every 2 years.

Pulpwood production data were taken from an annual canvass of 

all southern pulpmills. Medium density fiberboard, insulating 

board, and hardboard plants were included in this survey.

The FIA Research Work Unit of the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture developed the Timber Product Output (TPO) 

Database Retrieval System to help customers answer questions 

about timber harvesting and use in the Southern region. This system acts as an interface to a standard set of consistently coded TPO 

data for each State and county in the region and Nation. The database is well documented and easy to use. The retrieval system allows the user to select the TPO variables of interest and generate a 

standard set of timber products, removals, and mill residue tables 
e-S c i e n c e U p d a t e S RS-132

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Figure 1—Roundwood production for all products by species group and year, Alabama.

Figure 2—Roundwood production by type of product, Alabama, 

2015.

All Products

Industrial timber product output from roundwood increased 70.1 

million cubic feet, or 6.8 percent, to 1,103.8 million cubic feet.

Output of industrial softwood roundwood products was up 7.7 

percent, to 874.2 million cubic feet, while output of industrial 

hardwood roundwood products increased 3.5 percent to 229.6 million cubic feet (fig. 1).

Pulpwood and saw logs were the principal roundwood products in 

2015. Combined output of these two products totaled 935.9 million 

cubic feet and accounted for 85 percent of the State's total industrial roundwood output (fig. 2).

Total receipts at Alabama mills, which included roundwood harvested and retained in the State and roundwood imported from other States, was up 5 percent from 1,101.7 million cubic feet to 

1,163.6 million cubic feet

At the same time, the number of primary roundwood-using plants 

in Alabama increased from 112 in 2013 to 118 in 2015 (fig. 3, see 

next page). The number of sawmills increased by 2, and the number of bioenergy mills increased by 4, while the number of 

pulpmills, veneer, composite panel, and other miscellaneous mills 

remained stable.

Across all products, 85 percent of roundwood harvested was retained for processing at Alabama mills. Exports of roundwood to 

other States amounted to 154.9 million cubic feet, while imports of 

roundwood amounted to 219.1 million cubic feet making the State 

a net importer by 64.2 million cubic feet or 6 percent of produc0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1,000

1971 1982 1985 1989 1995 1997 1999 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015

Production (million cubic feet) 

Year

Softwood Hardwood

Saw 

logs

31%

Veneer 

logs

4%

Composite 

Panels

5%

Pulpwood

54%

Other 

Industrial

1% Bioenergy

5%

Total 1,103 million cubic feet
3

e-S c i e n c e U p d a t e S RS-132

Figure 3—Primary wood-using mills, Alabama, 2015.
e-S c i e n c e U p d a t e S RS-132

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Eighty percent of roundwood cut for pulpwood was retained for 

processing at Alabama pulpmills. Roundwood pulpwood accounted 

for 69 percent of total known exports and 59 percent of total 

imports. 

Saw Logs

In 2015, Alabama had 69 sawmills, 2 more mills than in 2013. Total 

saw-log receipts were up 40.6 million cubic feet to 311.1 million 

cubic feet. Softwood saw-log receipts increased 14 percent to 303 

million cubic feet, while those of hardwoods were up 27 percent to 

57 million cubic feet. 

Veneer logs

Output of veneer logs in 2015 totaled 48.3 million cubic feet, a 20 

percent increase since 2013, and accounted for 4 percent of the 

State's total roundwood TPO volume. Output of softwood veneer 

logs increased 25 percent to 38.6 million cubic feet, while that of 

hardwood veneer logs increased 5 percent to 9.8 million cubic feet 

(fig. 6).

Alabama retained 90 percent of its saw-log production for within 

State manufacture, with saw-log imports exceeding exports by 22.2 

million cubic feet in 2015. 

Figure 4—Roundwood pulpwood production by species group 

and year, Alabama, 2015.

Figure 5 —Roundwood saw-log production by species 

group and year, Alabama, 2015.

In 2015, Alabama had 11 veneer mills, the same as 2013. Receipts of veneer logs increased 18 percent to 41.7 million cubic feet. Softwood veneer log receipts increased 26 percent to 

30 million cubic feet, while those of hardwoods were up 4 

percent to 11.7 million cubic feet. 

Saw logs accounted for 31 percent of the State's total roundwood products. Output of softwood saw logs increased 12 

percent to 282.6 million cubic feet, while that of hardwood 

saw logs was up 20 percent to 55.2 million cubic feet (fig. 5).

Pulpwood

Total pulpwood production decreased 3 percent to 598.2 million 

cubic feet but accounted for 54 percent of the State's total roundwood TPO compared to 59 percent of total TPO in 2013. Softwood output decreased to 452.1 million cubic feet, while hardwood output decreased to 146.1 million cubic feet (fig. 4). These 

were a decrease from 2013 numbers of 1 percent and of 9 percent, 

respectively.

Twelve pulpmill facilities were operating and receiving roundwood in Alabama in 2015, one more than 2013. Total pulpwood 

receipts for these mills increased to 610.1 million cubic feet, accounting for 52 percent of total receipts for all mills.

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

1971 1982 1985 1989 1995 1997 1999 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015

Production (million cubic feet)

Year

Softwood Hardwood

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

1971 1982 1985 1989 1995 1997 1999 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015

Production (million cubic feet)

Year

Softwood Hardwood
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e-S c i e n c e U p d a t e S RS-132

Figure 6—Roundwood veneer-log production by species 

group and year, Alabama, 2015.

In 2015, Alabama had 9 bioenergy mills, 4 more mills than in 2013. 

Total bioenergy receipts were up 14.4 million cubic feet to 81 

million cubic feet. Softwood bioenergy receipts increased 67 percent 

to 63.7 million cubic feet, while those of hardwoods were up 226 

percent to 17.3 million cubic feet. 

Alabama retained 82 percent of its bioenergy production for within 

State manufacture, with bioenergy imports exceeding exports by 

23.2 million cubic feet in 2015. 

Other Industrial Products

Roundwood harvested for other industrial uses such as poles, posts, 

mulch, residential firewood, industrial fuel, logs for log homes, and 

all other industrial products totaled 11.9 million cubic feet. Softwood made up 99 percent of the other industrial products volume.

The number of plants producing other industrial products totaled 14 

in 2015. Combined receipts of other industrial products from softwood and hardwood totaled 13.5 million cubic feet. 

Figure 7—Roundwood bioenergy production by species 

group and year, Alabama, 2015.

Composite Panels

Output of composite panels in 2015 totaled 49.8 million cubic 

feet, a 21 percent increase since 2013, and accounted for 5 percent 

of the State's total roundwood TPO volume. Output of softwood 

composite panels increased 25 percent to 43.2 million cubic feet, 

while that of hardwood composite panels experienced no change. 

(fig. 8).

Bioenergy

Bioenergy accounted for 5 percent of the State's total roundwood 

products. Output of softwood bioenergy increased 62 percent to 

45.9 million cubic feet, while that of hardwood bioenergy was up 

212 percent to 11.9 million cubic feet (fig. 7).

In 2015, Alabama had 3 composite mills, the same as 2013. Receipts of log used to manufacture composite panels increased 29 

percent to 57.3 million cubic feet. Softwood veneer log receipts 

increased 34 percent to 50.7 million cubic feet, while those of 

hardwoods experienced no change at 6.6 million cubic feet. 

Figure 8— Roundwood composite production by species and 

year, Alabama, 2015 

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1971 1982 1985 1989 1995 1997 1999 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015

Productin (million cubic feet)

Year

Softwood Hardwood

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

2013 2015

Productin (million cubic feet)

Year

Softwood Hardwood

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

2013 2015

Productin (million cubic feet)

Year

Softwood Hardwood
e-S c i e n c e U p d a t e S RS-132

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Plant Byproducts

In 2015, processing of primary products in Alabama mills generated 

348.8 million cubic feet of wood and bark residues. Coarse residues 

from all primary products amounted to 124.4 million cubic feet, 

while bark volume totaled 138 million cubic feet. Collectively, 

sawdust and shavings made up 23 percent of total residues, or 78.6 

million cubic feet (fig. 9).

The processing of saw logs generated 227.3 million cubic feet of 

mill residues, accounting for 65 percent of the total residues 

produced (fig. 10).

Nearly 348.8 million cubic feet, or 100 percent, of the wood and 

bark residues were used for a product. While <1 percent of the 

residues were not used for a product, 51 percent of the residues were 

used for industrial fuel, of which 75 percent was used onsite and 25 

percent at other plants. Forty percent were used for fiber products 

(fig. 11). Ninety-three percent or 116.2 million cubic feet, of the 

coarse residues were used for fiber products. Ninety-five percent of 

the bark was used for industrial fuel, while 50 percent of the 

sawdust and shavings were used for industrial fuel.

How to Cite This Publication

Wall, David J.; Bentley, James W.; Cooper, Jason 

A.; Gray, James A. 2017. Alabama’s timber 

industry—timber product output and use, 2015. 

e-Science Update SRS–132. Asheville, NC: 

U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, 

Southern Research Station. 6 p.

Contact Information

David J Wall, Forester

Forest Inventory and Analysis

Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service

4700 Old Kingston Pike

Knoxville, Tennessee 37919

Phone: 601-384-5876x160/ Fax: 865-862-0248

Email: djwall@fs.fed.us

Southern FIA: https://www.fs.usda.gov/srsfia/

National FIA: https://fia.fs.fed.us

James W. Bentley, Forester

Forest Inventory and Analysis

Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service

4700 Old Kingston Pike

Knoxville, Tennessee 37919

Phone: 865-862-2056 / Fax: 865-862-0248

Email: jamesbentley@fs.fed.us

Southern FIA: https://www.fs.usda.gov/srsfia/

National FIA: https://fia.fs.fed.us

The published report is available online at https://treesearch.fs.fed.us

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer

Figure 9—Primary mill residue by residue type, Alabama 2015.

Figure 10—Primary mill residue produced by roundwood type, 

Alabama, 2015.

Figure 11—Disposal of residue by product, Alabama, 2015.

Sawdust

18% Shavings

6%

Bark

40%

Coarse

36%

Total 348 million cubic feet

Saw 

logs

65%

Bioenergy

8%

Miscellaneous

<1%

Composite

2%

Veneer logs

6%

Pulpwood

19%

Total 348 million cubic feet

Industrial 

fuel

51%

Animal

bedding

1%

Fiber 

products

40%

Not used

<1%

Mulch

3%

Bioenergy

2%

Charcoal

1% Miscellaneous

2%

Total 348 million cubic feet