Tom Schultz

National Forest Products Week, celebrated the third week of October, was established by Congress in 1960 to acknowledge the value and importance of forest products and their sustainable uses. As we celebrate, I want to share my deepest appreciation for your dedication to managing our forests and supporting the sustainable forest products industry. The forest products economy is strong, generating approximately $288 billion in annual economic output. Forest products make up roughly 4-5% of the total U.S. manufacturing Gross Domestic Product. The sector directly employs approximately 950,000 people. In fact, the forest products industry is also among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 45 states. You all delivered a successful forest management program in fiscal year 2026, selling 3.3 billion board feet, the highest volume sold from federal lands since 1997, and 103 million board feet above the annual target. These efforts will help move us toward implementing our forest plans to achieve forest health, fire mitigation and other land management objectives.