Forest Businesses_Content Page_Fact Sheets

Forestry and the Wisconsin Economy

The forest products industry in Wisconsin employed around 58,000 individuals and paid over $4 billion in labor income. In 2021, the industry total value of production was over $24.5 billion with value-added of $8.4 billion. The industry represented 2.3% of the state gross domestic products.

The economic impact of Wisconsin’s forest products industry is also transferred to other sectors of the economy through interindustry transactions and household spending. The industry contributed an additional 66,000 jobs and $13.1 billion in output, a total of 124,000 jobs and $38 billion in output tied to the forest products industry. This implies that for every ten jobs in the forest products industry, an additional 11 jobs were created in other sectors of the economy.

View and download an infographic showing key points about the economic contributions of Wisconsin's forest products industry.

The forest products industry ranked twelfth in terms of the number of full- and part-time jobs, sixth in value-added, and second in industry output in the state.

  • The forest products industry:
    • Was the number one employer in seven counties: Florence, Marathon, Price, Rusk, Taylor, Trempealeau and Winnebago;
    • Was one of the top 10 employers in 29 counties: Adams, Ashland, Brown, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Dunn, Florence, Forest, Iron, Kewaunee, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Marinette, Marquette, Oconto, Outagamie, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Shawano, Sheboygan, Taylor, Trempealeau, Washburn, Waupaca, Winnebago and Wood;
    • Was the number one industry for value-added in nine counties: Brown, Florence, Marathon, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor, Trempealeau and Winnebago;
    • Was one of the top 10 industries for value-added in 38 counties: Adams, Ashland, Barron, Brown, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Dodge, Dunn, Eau Claire, Florence, Forest, Iron, Kewaunee, Langlade, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Marquette, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Polk, Portage, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Shawano, Sheboygan, Taylor, Trempealeau, Vilas, Washburn, Washington, Waupaca, Winnebago and Wood;
    • Was number one for industry output in 16 counties: Ashland, Brown, Chippewa, Dunn, Florence, Iron, Marinette, Oneida, Outagamie, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Trempealeau, Waupaca, Winnebago and Wood; and
    • Was one of the top 10 industries for industry output in 43 counties: Adams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Brown, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Dodge, Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Florence, Forest, Grant, Iron, Kewaunee, Langlade, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Marquette, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Polk, Portage, Price, Racine, Rusk, Sawyer, Shawano, Sheboygan, St. Croix, 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

View a statewide fact sheet as a PDF:



View a particular county fact sheet as a PDF:


The DNR Division of Forestry has used the latest data to model the economic contributions of the forest industry in Wisconsin as a whole and for each individual 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