From a furniture factory in suburban Grand Rapids to a paper mill in the Upper Peninsula to a one-employee sawmill operation in the heart of the mitten, Michigan’s forest products industry is growing. Michigan’s traditional forest products industry — sawmills, paper mills, furniture factories, logging and other wood products manufacturers — reached a combined value of nearly $22 billion in 2019, the most recent year for which statistics are available. “In 2012, the value of the forest products industry in Michigan was $17.5 billion, so this is a significant increase and is in line with goals set for the industry,” said Jagdish Poudel, forest economist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and author of the study. The information in the study can help shape and grow Michigan’s forest-related industries into the future. …Each direct job in forest products industries supported 1.14 additional jobs, the study shows. Direct employment was pegged at 42,011 jobs.