Forest Service | September 2017

e-S c i e n c e U p d a t e S RS-115

Louisiana’s

Timber Industry—Timber Product Output and Use, 2013

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Introduction

This science update contains the findings of a 2013 canvass of all 

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

product output and residue use since 2011. 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 2013 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 Louisiana was 

conducted in 2014 to obtain information for 2013. In addition, 

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

harvested from Louisiana timberland was incorporated into 

Louisiana 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 

used to update the current survey. Surveys for all timber products 

other than pulpwood began in 1948, 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 

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://srsfia2.fs.fed.us/.

Appreciation is extended by the SRS to forest industry and mill 

managers for providing timber products information. 

Product and

species group 2011 2013 Change Change

percent

 Softwood 114,233 119,474 5,241 4.6

 Hardwood 18,293 18,410 117 0.6

 Total 132,526 137,884 5,358 4.0

 Softwood 102,432 116,776 14,344 14.0

 Hardwood 329 329 0 0.0

 Total 102,761 117,105 14,344 14.0

 Softwood 284,981 308,528 23,547 8.3

 Hardwood 67,208 48,003 -19,205 -28.6

 Total 352,189 356,531 4,342 1.2

 Softwood 49,098 53,231 4,133 8.4

 Hardwood 109 2,791 2,682 2,461

 Total 49,207 56,022 6,815 13.8

 Softwood 550,744 598,009 47,265 8.6

 Hardwood 85,939 69,533 -16,406 -19.1

 Total 636,683 667,542 30,859 4.8

Table 1—Output of industrial products by product and 

species group, Louisiana, 2011 and 2013

Year

 - - - - thousand cubic feet - - - - 

Saw logs

Veneer logs

Pulpwood

Other industrial

All industrial
e-S c i e n c e U p d a t e S RS-115

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All Products

Industrial timber product output from roundwood increased 30.9 

million cubic feet, or 5 percent, to 667.5 million cubic feet.

Output of industrial softwood roundwood products was up 9 

percent, to 598 million cubic feet, while output of industrial 

hardwood roundwood products decreased 19 percent to 69.5 million 

cubic feet (fig. 1).

Pulpwood and saw logs were the principal roundwood products in 

2013. Combined output of these two products totaled 494.4 million 

cubic feet and accounted for 74 percent of the State’s total industrial 

roundwood output (fig. 2).

Total receipts at Louisiana mills, which included roundwood 

harvested and retained in the State and roundwood imported from 

other States, were up 7 percent from 668.8 million cubic feet to 

714.3 million cubic feet.

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

in Louisiana increased from 40 in 2011 to 43 in 2013 (fig. 3). The 

number of sawmills, pulpmills, composite panel mills and 

miscellaneous mills remained stable. Veneer mills declined by 

one, and post, poles and piling mills gained one mill.

Across all products, 85 percent of roundwood harvested was 

retained for processing at Louisiana mills. Exports of roundwood 

to other States amounted to 97.5 million cubic feet, while imports 

of roundwood amounted to 144.2 million cubic feet making the 

State a net importer of roundwood. 

Pulpwood

Total pulpwood production increased 1 percent to 356.5 million 

cubic feet and accounted for 53 percent of the State’s total roundwood TPO, 1 percent less than 2011. Softwood output was up to 

308.5 million cubic feet; hardwood output decreased to 48.0 million cubic feet (fig. 4). Softwood volume increased 8 percent and 

hardwood volume decreased 29 percent from 2011.

Seven pulpmill facilities were operating and receiving roundwood 

in Louisiana in 2013, the same as in 2011. Total pulpwood receipts 

for these mills increased to 411.5 million cubic feet, accounting for 

58 percent of total receipts for all mills.

Figure 1— Roundwood production for all products by species 

group and year, Louisiana.

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

2013.

Figure 3– Primary wood-using mills, Louisiana, 2013. 
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e-S c i e n c e U p d a t e S RS-115

Eighty-four percent of roundwood cut for pulpwood was retained for 

processing at Louisiana pulpmills. Roundwood pulpwood accounted 

for 60 percent of total known exports and 79 percent of total imports. 

Saw Logs

Saw logs accounted for 21 percent of the State’s total roundwood 

products. Output of softwood saw logs increased 5 percent to 119.5 

million cubic feet, while that of hardwood saw logs increased < 1 

percent to 18.4 million cubic feet (fig. 5).

In 2013, Louisiana had 23 sawmills, the same as in 2011. Total saw

-log receipts were up 8.3 million cubic feet to 137.2 million cubic 

feet. Softwood saw-log receipts increased 8 percent to 122.9 

million cubic feet, while those of hardwoods dropped 3 percent to 

14.3 million cubic feet. 

Louisiana retained 84 percent of its saw-log production for within 

State manufacture, with saw-log exports exceeding imports by 643 

thousand cubic feet in 2013.

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 56.0 million cubic feet. Softwood made up 95 percent of the other industrial 

products volume.

Veneer Logs

Output of veneer logs in 2013 totaled 117.1 million cubic feet, a 

14 percent increase since 2011, and accounted for 18 percent of the 

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

99 percent of the veneer log product volume.

The number of veneer mills operating in Louisiana declined one, 

going from six in 2011 to five in 2013. Receipts of veneer logs 

increased 14 percent to 107.4 million cubic feet. 

The number of plants producing other industrial products totaled 8 

in 2013. Combined receipts of other industrial products from 

softwood and hardwood totaled 58.1 million cubic feet. Industrial 

fuel accounted for 9.2 million cubic feet, or 16 percent of receipt 

volume for this category.

Figure 4—Roundwood pulpwood production by species group 

and year, Louisiana.

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

year, Louisiana.

Figure 6—Roundwood veneer-log production by species group 

and year, Louisiana.
e-S c i e n c e U p d a t e S RS-115

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How to Cite This Publication

Gray, James A.; Bentley, James W.; Cooper, 

Jason A.; Wall, David J. 2017. Louisiana’s 

timber industry—timber product output and 

use, 2013. e-Science Update–SRS—115. 

Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture 

Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 4 p.

Contact Information

James A. Gray, Forester

Forest Inventory and Analysis

Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service

4700 Old Kingston Pike

Knoxville, Tennessee 37919

Phone: 865-862-2008 / Fax: 865-862-0248

Email: jagray@fs.fed.us

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

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://srsfia2.fs.fed.us

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

Plant Byproducts

In 2013, processing of primary products in Louisiana mills generated 206.7 million cubic feet of wood and bark residues. Coarse 

residues from all primary products amounted to 76.9 million cubic 

feet, while bark volume totaled 68.3 million cubic feet. Collectively, sawdust and shavings made up 30 percent of total residues, or 

61.4 million cubic feet (fig. 7).

The processing of saw logs generated 90.1 million cubic feet of 

mill residues, accounting for 44 percent of the total residues produced (fig. 8).

Nearly 100 percent, or 206.7 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. Sixty-six percent of the residues were used for industrial fuel, 87 percent of residues used for 

industrial fuel were used onsite and 13 percent were used offsite. 

Thirty-three percent were used for fiber products, 1 percent were 

used for sawn products and < 1 percent were used for animal 

bedding and mulch/soil additive (fig 9). Eighty-five percent, or 

65.5 million cubic feet, of the coarse residues were used for fiber 

products. Ninety-seven percent of the bark, sawdust and shavings 

were used for industrial fuel.

Figure 7—Primary mill residue by residue type, Louisiana, 

2013.

Figure 8—Primary mill residue produced by roundwood 

type, Louisiana, 2013.

Figure 9—Disposal of residue by product, Louisiana, 2013.