MFPA | Industry Facts

Facts about the Industry

Massachusetts Forest Products Association

The Land Base

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Massachusetts covers 5 million acres (2.0 million hectares). Sixty-two percent, or 3.1 million acres (1.2 million ha), is forested.

Massachusetts's forests are covered by five major forest types: northern hardwoods, oak/hickory, white and red pine, mixed oak/white pine, and elm/ash/red maple.

Several Environmental Laws Ensure a Sustainable Harvest

Wood products harvested in Massachusetts are marketed regionally, nationally, and internationally, generating $580- $845 million annually.

There are 89 sawmills operating in Massachusetts, with an average annual production of 120 million board feet (283 million cubic meters) of lumber.

Massachusetts has strong environmental laws that control timber harvesting operations and ensure the practice of sustainable forestry. These laws include:

- The Forest Cutting Practices Act, which regulates every commercial timber harvest;

- The Wetlands Protection Act, which regulates all commercial harvesting activities in or near wetlands;

- The Rivers Protection Act, which regulates activities in riparian areas;

- The Rare and Endangered Species Act, which protects the habitat of designated flora and fauna.

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Trends

Since 1985, the volume of growing stock trees has increased by 17%.
Sawtimber stands are found on 1.9 million acres (768,930 ha) of forestland. Since 1985, sawtimber volume has increased by 34%. The largest volume of sawtimber is in white pine, followed by red maple, then northern red oak.
The rate of growth to removals of sawtimber volume in Massachusetts is 3.3 to 1, slightly higher than the 1985 survey ratio of 3 to 1.

Green Certification

285,000 acres (115,339 ha) of forests managed by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management has been certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
60,000 acres (24,282 ha) of watershed forests managed by the Massachusetts Metropolitan District Commission have been certified by SmartWood, the first piece of public land in the United States to be certified.