Status and Trends for the U.S. Forest Products Sector. A Technical Document Supporting the Forest Service 2010 RPA Assessment

摘要

Forest products sector products and income help sustain the social, economic, and ecological benefits of forestry in the United States. Solidwood products consumption increased with population between 1965 and 2008 and varied with housing starts. Lumbers share declined from 83% to 70%, and structural panels share increased from 9% to 17%. Paper and paperboard consumption increased with gross domestic product until 1999, then stopped increasing partly due to a shift in advertising to electronic media and a shift from domestic manufacturing to imports of manufactured products. Roundwood needed to make products consumed, including imports, have remained remarkably stable at 1.75 m3 per capita although the portion from imports has varied. Per capita consumption declined during the recent recession. Net imports have varied with the U.S. dollar exchange rate. Net import share varied between 5% and 10% from 1965 to the early 1990s, increased to over 20% by 20042005 and declined with the recession to 12% in 2009. Structural panel and lumber production have increased with increasing housing starts but declined more than 40% in 2009 - associated with a 72% decline in housing starts through 2010. Paper and paperboard production increased faster than lumber production from 1965 to 1999, after which paperboard production leveled off and paper production declined. Prospects for solidwood, paper and paperboard production will be influenced by the economic recovery, particularly housing starts and intensity of wood use per unit of economic activity; by global demand and supply, and by the long-term value of the dollar. Consumption of wood for energy was stable from 1950 through the mid 1970s. Roundwood fuelwood and black liquor/residue use doubled by the mid 1980s then declined. Residential fuelwood use declined the most until about 1999 and has since been stable to increasing. Because most wood energy is linked to pulp or solidwood products production, the wood energy share of outputs has remained relatively.