That's about one billion board feet, enough to build a community of 77,000 average-sized homes. The production of forest products is the second-largest manufacturing industry in the Pacific Northwest. At the turn of the 21st century, the forest products industry employed over 100,000 people in Washington and Oregon. Economists estimate that each forest industry job supports 2.6 additional jobs for people who provide related goods and services. Communities benefit from property, sales and income taxes that support school construction, county roads and other community services.
Forests sustain people in many ways.
As trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide and convert it to oxygen as well as wood. To grow a pound of wood, a typical tree uses a pound and a half of carbon dioxide from the air and releases more than a pound of oxygen back into the air. Forests also filter and store our water supplies. In the Pacific Northwest, almost all municipal water originates in the forest. For generations, people have enjoyed the benefits of a trip to the forest.