Report details forest sector’s economic impact

Portland, Ore. – A new report commissioned by the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) synthesizes and interprets the most recent data and research related to Oregon’s forest resources and the economic contributions of the state’s forest sector, revealing that it not only remains a source of jobs for tens of thousands of Oregonians, accounting for about 4% of state employment, but also makes up 4% of Oregon’s gross domestic product.

Compiled by researchers from Oregon State University and the University of Idaho, The 2026 Forest Report is an update to a similar study OFRI published in 2019. The 2026 report acknowledges that much has changed in Oregon and the world since then, examining how events such as the global COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 Labor Day Fires have impacted Oregon’s forest sector. The sector also continues to be affected by growing threats to forests and timber supply, including wildfires, insect outbreaks and tree diseases.

Despite these challenges, the report points out that forestry has remained a critical part of Oregon’s economy for more than a century. Consumer demand remains high for the softwood lumber and other renewable wood products that are made right here in Oregon, including innovative mass timber products that make it possible to build bigger and taller structures with wood.

In addition to the 85-page 2026 Forest Report, OFRI has published Oregon’s Forest Economy, a 16-page booklet that summarizes key points from the longer report and features a series of interviews with the lead report author, the president of an Oregon-based mass timber company, and an economist from the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis. The full and summary reports can be downloaded at TheForestReport.org. Free printed copies of both reports are also available to order from the publication library on OFRI’s main website, OregonForests.org.

About the Oregon Forest Resources Institute:

The Oregon Forest Resources Institute supports the forest sector and the stewardship of natural resources by advancing Oregonians’ understanding of the social, environmental and economic benefits of our forests.