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Forestry and the Wisconsin Economy

The forest products industry in Wisconsin employed 55,000 individuals and paid $4.6 billion in labor income. In 2024, the industry's total value of production was $27.8 billion, with a value-added of $8.0 billion. The industry represented 1.8% of the state's gross domestic product.

The economic impact of Wisconsin’s forest products industry is also transferred to other sectors of the economy during interindustry transactions and household spending. The industry contributed an additional 72,000 jobs and $15.7 billion in output, a total of 127,000 jobs and $43.5 billion in output tied to the forest products industry. This implies that for every 10 jobs in the forest products industry, an additional 13 jobs were created in other sectors of the economy.

The forest products industry stands as a major economic driver in Wisconsin, ranking 14th in employment (full- and part-time), 11th in value-added and 3rd in output across all state industries.


  • The forest products industry:
    • Was the number one employer in five counties: Marathon, Price, Rusk, Taylor and Trempealeau.
    • Was one of the top 10 employers in 25 counties: Ashland, Brown, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Florence, Forest, Iron, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Marinette, Oconto, Outagamie, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Shawano, Taylor, Trempealeau, Washburn, Waupaca, Winnebago and Wood.
    • Was the number one industry for value-added in five counties: Brown, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor, Trempealeau and Winnebago.
    • Was one of the top 10 industries for value-added in 32 counties: Adams, Ashland, Barron, Brown, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Dunn, Florence, Forest, Iron, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Marinette, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Portage, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Shawano, Sheboygan, Taylor, Trempealeau, Washburn, Washington, Waupaca, Winnebago and Wood.
    • Was number one for industry output in 14 counties: Brown, Dunn, Florence, Iron, Langlade, Marinette, Outagamie, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Trempealeau, Waupaca, Winnebago and Wood.
    • And was one of the top 10 industries for industry output in 41 counties: Adams, Ashland, Barron, Brown, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Dodge, Dunn, Eau Claire, Florence, Forest, Grant, Iron, Kenosha, Langlade, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Marquette, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Polk, Portage, Price, Racine, Rusk, Sawyer, Shawano, Sheboygan, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vilas, Washburn, Washington, Waupaca, Winnebago and Wood.
  • Brown County had the largest number of forest products industry jobs and industry output in the state.
  • Trempealeau County had the largest number of wood and furniture products manufacturing jobs and industry output in the state.
  • Brown County had the largest number of pulp, paper and products of paper manufacturing jobs and industry output in the state.

Economic fact sheets

Statewide economic fact sheets and economic fact sheets for each county are prepared annually. All available fact sheets (starting with 2016) can be found in the Forestry and the Wisconsin Economy Report and Fact Sheet Archive.

The DNR Division of Forestry uses the latest data to model the economic contributions of the forest industry in Wisconsin as a whole and for each county using the Impact Analysis for Planning (IMPLAN). This software was originally developed by the U.S. Forest Service in cooperation with the University of Minnesota and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The model is designed to estimate the economic effects of an industry on the local or regional economy. For more details about the database and how we've used IMPLAN, contact the division’s forest economist.

Economic Contributions of Urban Forestry

Wisconsin’s urban forests (trees in cities, suburbs, and other developed areas) are an important component of natural resources, making significant economic contributions to local, state and national economies.

In a ground-breaking study led by the Wisconsin DNR, a comprehensive analysis of the economic contributions of urban and community forestry was completed across Wisconsin and fifteen other states within the Northeast-Midwest region. To see Wisconsin’s economic impact numbers, employment number, industry outlook and a resource valuation, see the Wisconsin full report and fact sheet. Regional, Methodological and other state reports and fact sheets can be found on the Northeast-Midwest State Foresters Alliance website​.

Reports