COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With industrial output totaling $22.4 billion, Ohio's forest products industry makes a significant impact on the state's economy. To reflect the importance of this sector and to better serve the needs of its production forestry clientele, Ohio State University Extension has launched a new website dedicated to the industry: http://ohiowood.osu.edu.
"Our intention was to create a site to communicate research, information, news and events related to the forest products Extension program at Ohio State,” said Eric McConnell, OSU Extension specialist in forest operations and products. "Our goal is to provide materials in an easily accessible format to both producers and consumers of wood and wood products."
The website contains directories for Ohio's primary wood processors, including sawmills and logging firms; secondary forest products manufacturers; portable sawmill operators; and firewood dealers. Timber price reports, information on forest products topics and publications from OSU Extension related to wood utilization can also be accessed from the homepage.
"This website will be beneficial not only to foresters and wood processors, but also to architects, engineers, forest landowners and homeowners," pointed out McConnell, who is also an assistant professor in the School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR). "Policy makers will find the Forest Facts page useful, as we populate it with data on timber volumes and the economic impact of the forest products industry in Ohio and its counties as research results become available."
The forest products industry directly employs 47,000 people, with a total employment impact of 114,500 people. Ohio communities also benefit from the economic activity and local taxes generated by this industry.
OSU Extension and SENR are part of Ohio State's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
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