INDIANAPOLIS — From living room couches to kitchen cabinets, wood products serve homeowners and renters throughout the world.
As of 2017, wood products accounted for 60% of the global furniture market, according to the Woodworking Network.
Many of the wood products U.S. citizens enjoy are made in Indiana. The Hoosier State ranks first in the nation in the production of wood office furniture and hardwood veneer, per the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.
Indiana is also second nationally in wood cabinet and countertop production, according to the ISDA’s website. The Hoosier State ranks third, fourth and fifth in the manufacturing of engineered wood products, prefabricated wood buildings and upholstered household furniture, respectively.
Indiana’s hardwood industry has an annual economic impact of more than $10 billion, per the ISDA. Over 70,000 jobs in Indiana are tied to the manufacturing of wood products. ISDA data indicates the average salary for those jobs is $66,188 a year.
The ISDA claims that, for every dollar of added value created by Indiana’s hardwood industries, 80 cents are generated by external firms that support the production of wood products.
ISDA data also shows that the employment multiplier for the hardwoods industry is 1.85, which means that every person directly employed in hardwoods triggers an additional .85 persons to be hired in the Hoosier State.
Indiana has roughly 4.9 million acres of forested land within its borders. An ISDA report shows that 84% of that land is privately owned. The remaining 16% of forested land is owned by state, local and federal government entities.
An ISDA brochure indicates that Indiana’s hardwood industry is sustainable because statewide timber growth exceeds the rate at which trees naturally die or are harvested more than three times over.
