Northwoods reference

Wisconsin Forest Products & Wood Energy Statistics

Current public data on Wisconsin forests, the forest-products economy and wood energy, gathered in one place for writers, landowners, businesses and anyone who needs a reliable starting point.

Updated October 27, 2026

The figures behind Wisconsin’s working woods.

Wisconsin’s forests support homes, jobs, recreation and a deep bench of practical businesses. This page brings together the most useful current figures from public agencies, with the reporting year shown beside every statistic.

It is a reference, not a forecast. Each number links directly to its source so readers can check the original context and cite the data accurately.

Citable statistics

Wisconsin forest and wood-energy facts

17 million

acres of forestland

Wisconsin’s forests cover nearly half of the state, according to the Wisconsin DNR. Wisconsin DNR, 2024.

$27.8B

in 2024 forest-products production

The Wisconsin DNR reports this as the industry’s total value of production, based on 2024 IMPLAN data. Wisconsin DNR, 2024 IMPLAN data.

55,000

direct industry jobs

Wisconsin’s forest-products industry employed 55,000 people and paid $4.6 billion in labor income in 2024. Wisconsin DNR, 2024 IMPLAN data.

127,000

jobs tied to the industry

Including related economic activity, the DNR attributes 127,000 jobs and $43.5 billion in output to the industry in 2024. Wisconsin DNR, 2024 IMPLAN data.

67%

of forestland is privately owned

Wisconsin’s 2020 State Forest Action Plan estimates that non-industrial private owners care for nearly 11.4 million acres. Wisconsin DNR, 2020.

54.3M

trees planted by Dec. 31, 2025

That is the state’s reported progress toward its 100-million-tree rural and urban planting goal for 2030. Wisconsin DNR, updated 2026.

11M

U.S. households used wood for energy

The latest available nationwide household-use figure is from 2020 and includes cord wood, fireplaces and wood-burning appliances. U.S. EIA, 2020 household data.

2.2M

U.S. households used wood as primary heat

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports this from 2020 residential energy survey data. U.S. EIA, 2020 household data.

3.1%

of 2025 U.S. residential end-use energy

Wood energy’s residential share is preliminary for 2025, according to the Energy Information Administration. U.S. EIA, preliminary 2025.

A useful distinction

State figures and national figures serve different jobs.

The forestland and industry figures above describe Wisconsin specifically. The household-use and residential-energy figures describe the United States because the Energy Information Administration’s public summary is national in scope.

Keeping that distinction clear makes the page more useful. A writer can cite Wisconsin’s forest-products economy without accidentally treating a national wood-energy figure as a state total.

Methodology and sources

Where these numbers come from

Wisconsin DNR, Forestry and the Wisconsin Economy2024 IMPLAN-based economic figures, including employment, labor income, production, total jobs and total output.
Wisconsin DNR, Forest Products Week releasePublished October 11, 2024. Used for the state’s 17 million acres of forestland.
Wisconsin DNR, 2020 State Forest Action Plan: Forest OwnershipUsed for the statewide private-forest ownership estimate and the associated acreage.
Wisconsin DNR, Trillion Trees PledgeCurrent state progress shown as of December 31, 2025, on a page accessed October 27, 2026.
U.S. Energy Information Administration, Wood and Wood WasteUsed for 2020 household-use figures and preliminary 2025 residential energy-share data. Accessed October 27, 2026.

Cite this page

Use a stable link when you reference these figures.

For a simple web citation, use the title, publisher and update date below. Link to a specific statistic by adding its anchor, such as #direct-jobs.

Wilderness Products & Services, Inc. (2026, October 27). Wisconsin Forest Products & Wood Energy Statistics.

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