Forest Products Week wraps up

WAUSAU, Wis. (WXCO) – Wisconsin is home to 17 million acres of public and private forested land, according to a proclamation from Gov. Evers celebrating Forest Products Week.

Paul Fowler is Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Sustainable Technology at UW-Stevens Point. He says forest products touch nearly every part of our daily lives.

“You encounter these products every day of your life, from tissue that you wipe your face with, tea bags, coffee filters, disposable diapers, hardwood flooring,” he says.

He also points out that forest products are one of Wisconsin’s largest manufacturing sectors. According to a report from the Wisconsin Council on Forestry, forest products represent over 11 percent of the state’s manufacturing jobs and contribute more than $37 billion to the state economy.

“That means they make an enormous contribution to the state’s economy, to the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people, and also just the quality of life that we receive from our forests.”

While Wisconsin is the top producer of paper products, jobs in the industry are in decline.

According to the same report, paper mill jobs dropped by nearly half over the past 15 years, to 6,947 jobs in the the third quarter of 2024.