Pennsylvania roundwood purchases and movements by origin and destination

A mail survey of all identified roundwood purchasers in Pennsylvania was conducted in 2004 to quantify the roundwood purchasing industry in terms of roundwood volume, origin, destination, roundwood type, and species of 2003 purchases. An adjusted response rate of 50 percent was obtained from the estimated overall population of 334 Pennsylvania roundwood purchasers. Pennsylvania's total roundwood purchase volume in 2003 was estimated at 1.266 BBF, of which 22 percent (284 MMBF) was imported from surrounding states. Pennsylvania roundwood purchasers' imports from surrounding states in 2003 were approximately 4 times greater than their import volumes in 1988, and their exports to surrounding states and other countries of 67 MMBF increased 29 percent since the 1988 study by Wharton and Bearer (1994). Of Pennsylvania's total roundwood purchase volume, 982 MMBF was harvested from within the state; 22 percent of this volume originated in the Allegheny inventory region. Pennsylvania's roundwood purchases were 61 percent sawlogs, 29 percent pulpwood, and 10 percent veneer. The greatest percentage of Pennsylvania roundwood purchases were in red and white oak (35%), followed by hard and soft maple (18%), and black cherry (13%). Eighty-seven percent of Pennsylvania's roundwood purchase volume came from ongoing forestry operations. The results of this study provide the removal volumes for the USDA Forest Service Timber Product Output database, which is part of the Forest Inventory and Analysis program. The study also presents key information characterizing roundwood removals, purchases, and flows into and out of the nation's #1 hardwood lumber producing state.