Wood industry


The wood industry or lumber industry is a—usually private—economic sector concerned with forestry, logging, timber trade, and the production of forest products, timber/lumber, primary forest and wood products and secondary products like wood pulp for the pulp and paper industry. Some largest producers are also among the biggest timberland owners.
The wood industry plays a dominating role in today's wood economy.

Distinction

In the narrow sense of the terms, wood, forest, forestry and timber/lumber industry appear to point to different sectors, in the industrialized, internationalized world, there is a tendency toward huge integrated businesses that cover the complete spectrum from silviculture and forestry in private primary or secondary forests or plantations via the logging process up to wood processing and trading and transport.
Processing and products differs especially with regard to the distinction between softwood and hardwood. While softwood primarily goes into the production of wood fuel and pulp and paper, hardwood is used mainly for furniture, floors, etc.. Both types can be of use for building and construction purposes.

Production chain

After logging, which is now typically done using large harvesters, the trunks of the felled trees are cut in lumber mills.

Top producers

As of 2019, the top timberland owners in the USA were structured as real-estate investment trusts and include:
In 2008 the largest lumber and wood producers in the USA were
As these companies are often publicly traded, their ultimate owners are a diversified group of investors. There are also timber-oriented real-estate investment trusts.
According to sawmilldatabase, the world top producers of sawn wood in 2007 were:
CompanyProduction or Capacity in m3/yr
West Fraser Timber Co Ltd8460000
Canfor6900000
Weyerhaeuser6449000
Stora Enso4646000
Georgia Pacific4300000
Resolute Forest Products3760000
Interfor3550000
Sierra Pacific Industries3200000
Hampton Affiliates3100000
Arauco2800000
Tolko Industries Ltd2500000
Pfeifer Group2200000

Safety

Noise

Workers within the Forestry and Logging industry sub-sector fall within the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting industry sector as characterized by the North American Industrial Classification System. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has taken a closer look at the AFFH industry's noise exposures and prevalence of hearing loss. While the overall industry sector had a prevalence of hearing loss lower than the overall prevalence of noise-exposed industries, workers within Forestry and Logging exceeded 21%. Thirty-six percent of workers within Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products, a sub-sector within Forestry and Logging, experienced hearing loss, the most of any AFFH sub-sector. Workers within Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products are tasked with growing trees for reforestation and gathering products such as rhizomes and barks. Comparatively, non-noise-exposed workers have only a 7% prevalence of hearing loss.
Worker noise exposures in the Forestry and Logging industry have been found to be up to 102 dBA. NIOSH recommends that a worker have an 8 hour time-weighted average of noise exposure of 85 dBA. Excessive noise puts workers at an increased risk of developing hearing loss. If a worker were to develop a hearing loss as a result of occupational noise exposures, it would be classified as occupational hearing loss. Noise exposures within the Forestry and Logging industry can be reduced by enclosing engines and heavy equipment, installing mufflers and silencers, and performing routine maintenance on equipment. Noise exposures can also be reduced through the hierarchy of hazard controls where removal or replacement of noisy equipment serves as the best method of noise reduction.

Injury

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that fatalities of Forestry and Logging workers have increased from 2013 to 2016, up from 81 to 106 per year. In 2016, there were 3.6 cases of injury and illness per 100 workers within this industry.