What Forests Mean to Florida 
YHY— 
LORIDA’S FORESTS are among. the 
State’s top-ranking sources of income. In 
value, primary forest products rank with the 
leading farm products and supply the main source of 
income to many small communities. In 1948, the 
gross cash income of Florida farmers from livestock 
and livestock products was 105 million dollars; from 
truck crops 89 million, and from citrus crops 72 mil- 
lion (7).1 The value of primary forest products was 
56 million dollars. 
These forest products represent an array of commod- 
ities with sawlogs, pulpwood bolts, and gum for naval 
stores products heading the list in value (table 1). 
Other important commodities include veneer logs and 
bolts, pine stumps, fuel wood, piling, poles, hewn ties, 
and fence posts. 
TasLe 1.—Value of primary forest products, Florida, 1948 
Product Value 
Million dollars Percent 
WA WO LSM a ea ye ee 19 34 
Bulpwoodsbolts=== f= sss 2s Soe 15 27 
Gum-for naval stores==——— === --2--2 7 13 
' Veneer logs and bolts___-___-_-_--_- 4 7 
Pine stumps ss) ee 3 5 
pee bititeliw ood ieee ee ae a Se 3 5 
©ther‘forest: products: === ===. == 2 = 5 9 
TiO Gall See th eh a ee 56 100 
"Forests Support A 200-Million-Dollar 
Industry 
Forests provide the base for the leading group of 
manufacturing industries in the State. The wholesale 
manufactured value of the principal forest products 
in 1948 amounted to 200 million dollars, and ac- 
counted for about a fifth of the sale value of all 
manufactured products. 
1Ttalic numbers in parentheses refer to Literature Cited, 
p. dl. 
The Timber Supply Situation in Florida 
KKK 
Industries entirely or partially dependent upon 
forests for raw material are the most important 
source of industrial employment. In 1947, about 3 
out of every 10 manufacturing workers were em- 
ployed in forest industries. The 24 thousand jobs 
(25) they provide furnish the major means of liveli- 
hood to at least 85 thousand people. 
In 1948, the wood-using industries outranked all 
others in number of firms, payrolls, income, and 
profit (/2). Only in sales value and plant equipment 
value were the forest industries topped; in this they 
ranked second only to food and kindred products. 
Of the 1,104 wood-using firms in 1948, 913 manu- 
factured lumber and allied products. This group of 
industries headed the list of forest industries in plant 
and equipment value, number of employees, payrolls, 
profits, income, and sales. The pulp and paper indus- 
try, with only 31 firms, ranked a close second, and 
in wholesale manufactured value of products it ex- 
ceeded the lumber industry. 
Pulp and Paper Industry Growing 
Between 1939 and 1947, the value added by the 
manufacture of forest products tripled. In spite of 
this gain, their relative importance among all indus- 
tries did no change, since other industries made com- 
parable gains. However, the make-up of the forest 
changes. Chief 
among these was the growing importance of the pulp 
and paper industries and the decline of the lumber 
industries (fig. 1). 
industries underwent _ significant 
The rise of the pulp and paper industry has not 
only meant more jobs, but better-paid jobs. The 
average yearly earnings per employee in 1947 in the 
manufacture of paper and allied products was $2,726, 
compared, to $2,146 for all industries and $1,642 for 
the lumber industry (table 2). 
