When you think about Indiana’s ag industry, you might not think about hardwoods and lumber, which play a huge role in the state’s economy.
Indiana’s hardwood industry has an annual economic impact of over $10 billion to the state’s economy. In fact, Indiana is the number one producer of wooden hardwood and office furniture in the U.S.
Indiana’s hardwood sector also ranks:
- 2nd in wood kitchen cabinets and countertops, manufactured homes
- 3rd in engineered wood products
- 4th in pre-fabricated wood buildings
- 5th in upholstered household furniture
Much of the lumber that is harvested and used here in Indiana comes from private woodland owners.
“There’s over 4.5 million acres of forest land in Indiana, and of that 85 percent of that is privately owned, so there are a lot of farmers and families who own forest land,” says Tyler Smith, Sales Manager of Cole Hardwood in Logansport.
He also says the lumber and hardwoods harvested provide much of the raw materials for many Indiana businesses—such as the custom handmade furniture exclusively from black cherry wood and built in-house at The Sampler in the small town of Homer in Rush County, as well as flooring produced by Indiana Hardwood Specialists in Spencer—or the wooden caskets made by Batesville Casket in Ripley County.
Smith says there’s a huge market for many of those finished hardwood products outside the U.S.
“We ship to China, Vietnam, and all over Asia, as well as Europe,” he says. “They like our hardwoods because they know what they’re getting. It’s graded. We also have standards, whereas with product from some other areas that are less developed, you don’t always know what you’re going to get, so they can count on what we’re sending.”
Smith adds that hardwoods and lumber not only benefit Indiana’s economy, but the industry and their products also benefit the environment.
“The sustainability of hardwoods is really taking note of,” says Smith. “These products are here forever. It’s not a ‘build it and three years later we’re going to get something new.’ Hardwoods can last a lifetime.”
“I think that’s a really good note for woodland owners. They’re going to be able to be part of this market for years to come. Forests grows faster than we can harvest it, so the forests get bigger each year even though we’re continually harvesting and bringing in the timber to make lumber,” he says.
According to the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Indiana’s hardwood and lumber industry also supports 70,000 jobs—44,000 of which are in primary and secondary manufacturing.
CLICK HERE to read more about the Indiana Forestry and Woodland Owners Association (IFWOA).
CLICK HERE to read more about the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association (IHLA).
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