Tennessee’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–097

February 2014

Southern

Research Station

Introduction

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

primary wood-using plants in Tennessee, 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee timberland was incorporated into Tennessee 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 1949, 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 U.S. Department of Agriculture 

Forest Service 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 Tennessee 

Division of Forestry in collecting mill data. Appreciation is also 

extended to forest industry and mill managers for providing timber 

products information. 

Whitson Lumber 

Company. (photo 

by Tim Phelps, 

Tennessee 

Department of 

Agriculture)
2

All Products

• Industrial timber product output from roundwood increased 26.3 

million cubic feet, or 12 percent, to 251.5 million cubic feet.

• Output of industrial hardwood roundwood products was up 

13 percent, to 201.4 million cubic feet, while output of industrial 

softwood roundwood products increased 6 percent to 50.0 million 

cubic feet (fig. 1).

• Pulpwood and saw logs were the principal roundwood products 

in 2011. Combined output of these two products totaled 247.2 

million cubic feet and accounted for 98 percent of the State’s total 

industrial roundwood output (fig. 2).

• Total receipts at Tennessee mills, which included roundwood 

harvested and retained in the State and roundwood imported 

from other States, was up 15 percent from 251.5 million cubic feet 

to 288.9 million cubic feet.

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

in Tennessee declined from 267 in 2009 to 254 in 2011 (fig. 3). 

The number of sawmills decreased by 13, while pulpmills, veneer, 

composite panel, and other miscellaneous mills remained stable.

• Across all products, 70 percent of roundwood harvested was 

retained for processing at Tennessee mills. Exports of roundwood 

to other States amounted to 74.5 million cubic feet, while imports 

of roundwood amounted to 111.9 million cubic feet making the 

State a net importer of roundwood. 

Saw logs

47% Other 

industrial

2%

Total 251 million cubic feet

Pulpwood

51%

Figure 2—Roundwood production by type of product, 

Tennessee, 2011.

Central Plateau East

West Central

West

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

Sawmill (0–5 mmbf)

Sawmill (>20 mmbf)

Sawmill (5–20 mmbf)

Composite panel

Veneer

Pulpmill

Plywood mill

Other mill

Primary wood-using mills

0

50

100

150

200

250

196019701979198919951997199920012005200720092011

Production (million cubic feet)

Year

Softwood

Hardwood

Figure 1—Roundwood production for all products by species group 

and year, Tennessee.
3

Pulpwood

• Total pulpwood production increased 11 percent to 128.6 million 

cubic feet and accounted for 51 percent of the State’s total 

roundwood TPO the same as in 2009. Hardwood output was up 

to 82.9 million cubic feet; softwood output increased as well to 

45.6 million cubic feet (fig. 4). These were increases from 2009 

numbers of 6 percent and 22 percent, respectively.

• Five pulpmill facilities were operating and receiving roundwood in 

Tennessee in 2011, the same since 1995. Total pulpwood receipts 

for these mills increased to 168.7 million cubic feet, accounting for 

58 percent of total receipts for all mills.

• Fifty-one percent of roundwood cut for pulpwood was retained 

for processing at Tennessee pulpmills. Roundwood pulpwood 

accounted for 85 percent of total known exports and 92 percent 

of total imports.

Other Industrial Products

• Roundwood harvested for other industrial uses such as poles, 

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

homes, composite panels, veneer, and all other industrial products 

totaled 4.2 million cubic feet. Hardwood made-up 62 percent of 

the other industrial products volume.

• The number of plants producing other industrial products totaled 

five in 2011. Combined receipts of other industrial products from 

softwood and hardwood totaled 2.5 million cubic feet. Industrial 

fuel accounted for 357,000 cubic feet, or 14 percent, of receipt 

volume for this category.

Plant Byproducts

• In 2011, processing of primary products in Tennessee mills 

generated 96.9 million cubic feet of wood and bark residues. 

Coarse residues from all primary products amounted to 41.2 

million cubic feet, while bark volume totaled 31.3 million cubic 

feet. Collectively, sawdust and shavings made-up 25 percent of 

Saw Logs total residues, or 24.4 million cubic feet (fig. 6).

• Saw logs accounted for 47 percent of the State’s total roundwood 

products. Output of hardwood saw logs increased 19 percent to 

115.9 million cubic feet, while that of softwood saw logs dropped 

66 percent to 2.8 million cubic feet (fig. 5).

• In 2011, Tennessee had 244 sawmills, 13 fewer mills than in 

2009. Total saw-log receipts were up 18.9 million cubic feet to 

117.8 million cubic feet. Hardwood saw-log receipts increased 

20 percent to 115.6 million cubic feet, while those of softwoods 

declined 22 percent to 2.1 million cubic feet. 

• Tennessee retained 92 percent of its saw-log production for within 

State manufacture, with saw-log exports exceeding imports by 

907,000 cubic feet in 2011.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Production (million cubic feet)

Softwood

Hardwood

Figure 4—Roundwood pulpwood production by species group and 

year, Tennessee.

19601970197919891995

19971999

200120052007

20092011

Year

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Production (million cubic feet)

Softwood

Hardwood

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

year, Tennessee.

196019701979

1989199519971999

200120052007

20092011

Year

Bark

32%

Coarse

43%

Sawdust

25%

Shavings

<1%

Total 97 million cubic feet

Figure 6—Primary mill residue by residue type, 

Tennessee, 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: 865-862-4048

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. 

Tennessee’s timber industry, 2011—timber product output and 

use—forest inventory and analysis factsheet. e-Science Update 

SRS–097. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest 

Service, Southern Research Station. 4 p.

• The processing of saw logs generated 78.0 million cubic feet of mill 

residues, accounting for 80 percent of the total residues produced 

(fig. 7).

• Ninety-six percent, or 93.2 million cubic feet, of the wood and bark 

residues were used for a product. While 4 percent of the residues 

were not used for a product, 50 percent of the residues were used 

for industrial fuel and 23 percent were used for fiber products 

(fig. 8). Fifty-four percent, or 22.1 million cubic feet, of the coarse 

residues were used for fiber products. Seventy-three percent of the 

bark was used for industrial fuel, while 66 percent of the sawdust 

and shavings were used for industrial fuel.

Other 

industrial

<1%

Saw logs

80%

Pulpwood

19%

Total 97 million cubic feet

Figure 7—Primary mill residue produced by roundwood 

type, Tennessee, 2011.

Total 97 million cubic feet

Not 

used

4%

Fiber 

products

23%

Charcoal/ 

chemical wood

7%

Miscellaneous

15%

Particleboard

1%

Industrial 

fuel

50%

Figure 8—Disposal of residue by product, Tennessee, 

2011.

Load of pulp logs headed to pulpmill. 

(photo by James Bentley)

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