Florida’s Timber Industry—

Timber Product Output 

and Use, 2011

Forest Inventory & Analysis Factsheet

James W. Bentley, Jason A. Cooper, and Michael Howell

www.srs.fs.usda.gov

United States Department of Agriculture

Forest

Service

e–Science Update SRS–089

February 2014

Southern

Research Station

Introduction

This science update contains the findings of a 2011 canvass of all 

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

product output and residue use since 2009. 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 2011 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 Florida was 

conducted in 2012 to obtain information for 2011. In addition, 

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

harvested from Florida timberland was incorporated into Florida 

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 1958, 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 for the specified 

resource area, State, or region. The system is available through the 

FIA Web site: http://srsfia2.fs.fed.us/. The Excel® core tables and 

figures that complement this science update are available on the TPO 

database.

The Southern Research Station gratefully acknowledges the 

tremendous cooperation and assistance provided by the Florida 

Forest Service in collecting mill data. Appreciation is also extended 

to forest industry and mill managers for providing timber products 

information.

Buckeye Florida, LP. 

(photo by Roy Lima, 

Florida Forest 

Service)
2

All Products

• Industrial timber product output from roundwood decreased 

7.3 million cubic feet, or 2 percent, to 467.3 million cubic feet.

• Output of industrial softwood roundwood products dropped 

2 percent to 447.5 million cubic feet, while output of industrial 

hardwood roundwood products decreased 1 percent to 19.8 

million cubic feet (fig. 1).

• Across all products, 86 percent of roundwood harvested was 

retained for processing at Florida mills. Exports of roundwood to 

other States amounted to 64.3 million cubic feet, while imports of 

roundwood amounted to 120.8 million cubic feet making the State 

a net importer of roundwood.

Pulpwood

• Total pulpwood production increased 5 percent to 278.2 million 

cubic feet and accounted for 60 percent of the State’s total 

roundwood TPO compared to 56 percent of total TPO in 2009. 

Softwood output was up 6 percent to 264.4 million cubic feet; 

hardwood output decreased 13 percent to 13.9 million cubic feet 

(fig. 4). 

• Pulpwood and saw logs were the principal roundwood products 

in 2011. Combined output of these two products totaled 381.8 

million cubic feet and accounted for 82 percent of the State’s total 

industrial roundwood output (fig. 2).

Total 467 million cubic feet

Saw logs

22%

Other

industrial

14%

Veneer 

logs

4%

Pulpwood

60%

Figure 2—Roundwood production by type of product, 

Florida, 2011.

• Total receipts at Florida mills, which included roundwood 

harvested and retained in the State and roundwood imported 

from other States, was up 4 percent from 505.4 million cubic feet 

to 523.8 million cubic feet.

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

in Florida declined from 59 in 2009 to 52 in 2011 (fig. 3). 

Northwest

South

Central

Northeast

Figure 3—Primary wood-using mills by region, Florida, 2011.

Sawmill (0–5 mmbf)

Sawmill (>20 mmbf)

Sawmill (5–20 mmbf)

Composite panel

Veneer

Pulpmill

Plywood mill

Other mill

Primary wood-using mills

Softwood 

Hardwood 

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Production (million cubic feet)

Figure 4—Roundwood pulpwood production by species group and 

year, Florida.

Year

19871989199119931995

1997

1999

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

Figure 1—Roundwood production for all products by species group 

and year, Florida.

Softwood 

Hardwood 

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Production (million cubic feet)

Year

198719891991

19931995

19971999

2003

2005

20072009

2011
3

• Six pulpmill facilities were operating and receiving roundwood in 

Florida in 2011, the same since 1999. Total pulpwood receipts for 

these mills increased to 336.3 million cubic feet, accounting for 64 

percent of total receipts for all mills.

• Eighty-five percent of roundwood cut for pulpwood was retained 

for processing at Florida pulpmills. Roundwood pulpwood 

accounted for 67 percent of total known exports and 84 percent 

of total imports. 

Saw Logs

• Saw logs accounted for 22 percent of the State’s total roundwood 

products. Output of softwood saw logs decreased 14 percent to 

101.5 million cubic feet, while that of hardwood saw logs was up 

10 percent to 2.1 million cubic feet (fig. 5).

Other Industrial Products

• Roundwood harvested for other industrial uses such as poles, 

posts, mulch, residential firewood, industrial fuel, logs for log 

homes, composite panels, and all other industrial products totaled 

67.2 million cubic feet. Softwood made up 96 percent of the other 

industrial products volume.

• The number of plants producing other industrial products totaled 

19 in 2011. Combined receipts of other industrial products from 

softwood and hardwood totaled 62.5 million cubic feet. Industrial 

fuel accounted for 27.1 million cubic feet, or 43 percent, of receipt 

volume for this category.

Plant Byproducts

• In 2011, processing of primary products in Florida mills generated 

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

from all primary products amounted to 39.3 million cubic feet, 

while bark volume totaled 46.3 million cubic feet. Collectively, 

sawdust and shavings made up 27 percent of total residues, or 

31.8 million cubic feet (fig. 7).

• In 2011, Florida had 24 sawmills, 4 fewer mills than in 2009. Total 

saw-log receipts dropped 21.9 million cubic feet to 100.3 million 

cubic feet. Softwood saw-log receipts decreased 18 percent to 

98.7 million cubic feet, while those of hardwoods were up 14 

percent to 1.6 million cubic feet. 

• Florida retained 87 percent of its saw-log production for withinState manufacture, with saw-log exports exceeding imports by 

3.2 million cubic feet in 2011.

Veneer Logs

• Output of veneer logs in 2011 totaled 18.4 million cubic feet, an 

8-percent decrease since 2009, and accounted for 4 percent of the 

State’s total roundwood TPO volume (fig. 6).

• The number of veneer mills operating in Florida remained stable 

at three for 2011, unchanged since 2003. Receipts of veneer logs 

decreased 1 percent to 24.6 million cubic feet.

Softwood 

Hardwood 

0

40

80

120

160

200

Production (million cubic feet)

Year

198719891991

19931995

19971999

2003

2005

20072009

2011

Figure 5—Roundwood saw-log production by species group and year, 

Florida.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Production (million cubic feet)

Year

198719891991

199319951997

1999

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

Softwood 

Hardwood 

Figure 6—Roundwood veneer-log production by species group and 

year, Florida.

Total 117 million cubic feet

Sawdust

19%

Shavings

8%

Bark

39%

Coarse

34%

Figure 7—Primary mill residue by residue type, 

Florida, 2011.
4

Jason A. Cooper, Forester

Forest Inventory and Analysis

Southern Research Station

USDA Forest Service

4700 Old Kingston Pike

Knoxville, TN 37919

Phone: 865-862-2009 / Fax: 865-862-2048

Email: jasoncooper@fs.fed.us

Southern FIA: http://srsfia2.fs.fed.us

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

The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is dedicated to the principle of multiple use management of the Nation’s 

forest resources for sustained yields of wood, water, forage, wildlife, and recreation. Through forestry research, cooperation with 

the States and private forest owners, and management of the National Forests and National Grasslands, it strives—as directed by

Congress—to provide increasingly greater service to a growing Nation.

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or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Contact Information

James W. Bentley, Forester

Forest Inventory and Analysis

Southern Research Station, 

USDA Forest Service

4700 Old Kingston Pike

Knoxville, TN 37919

Phone: 865-862-2056 / Fax: 865-862-2048

Email: jamesbentley@fs.fed.us

Southern FIA: http://srsfia2.fs.fed.us

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

Michael Howell, Forester

Forest Inventory and Analysis

Southern Research Station

USDA Forest Service

4700 Old Kingston Pike

Knoxville, TN 37919

Phone: 865-862-2054 / Fax: 865-862-2048

Email: mhowell@fs.fed.us

Southern FIA: http://srsfia2.fs.fed.us

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

How to Cite this Publication

Bentley, James W.; Cooper, Jason A.; Howell, Michael. 2014. Florida’s 

timber industry, 2011—timber product output and use—forest 

inventory and analysis factsheet. e-Science Update SRS–089. 

Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, 

Southern Research Station. 4 p.

• The processing of saw logs generated 66.3 million cubic feet 

of mill residues, accounting for 57 percent of the total residues 

produced (fig. 8).

• Nearly 100 percent, or 117.3 million cubic feet, 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 and 29 percent were used for fiber 

products (fig. 9). Eighty-seven percent, or 34.0 million cubic feet, 

of the coarse residues were used for fiber products. Seventy-eight 

percent of the bark was used for industrial fuel, while 73 percent 

of the sawdust and shavings were used for industrial fuel.

Total 117 million cubic feet

Other 

industrial

<1%

Pulpwood

29%

Saw 

logs

57%

Veneer 

logs

14%

Figure 8—Primary mill residue produced by 

roundwood type, Florida, 2011.

Particleboard

2%

Not 

used

<1%

Fiber products

29%

Industrial 

fuel

51%

Miscellaneous

15%

Sawn 

products

3%

Total 117 million cubic feet

Figure 9—Disposal of residue by product, Florida, 

2011.

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Load of pulp logs headed to pulpmill. 

(photo by James Bentley)