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Fulton County’s Forest Economy

F-102
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Date: 
12/20/2013
Eric McConnell, PhD, Forest Operations and Products Specialist, Ohio State University Extension
Eric Richer, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension, Fulton County

Fulton County contains 405 square miles (259,480 acres) of land and is home to 42,700 citizens[1]. There are 183 industries in the county[2], with the median household earning an income of $51,850[1]. Major employers include businesses in the sectors of wood furniture manufacturing, state and local governments, food services, and wholesale trade businesses[2].

Figure 1. Forest industry outputs contribute 8.93% to Fulton County's economy[2,3].

The land resources of Fulton County provide many economic benefits. The county's 750 agricultural farms produce a variety of agronomic crops and livestock[3]. An abundance of wooded acres are also present, providing community support to the county's forest industries. These forest businesses generate $304 million in industrial output and $26.9 million in taxes[2].

Some of the many contributions Fulton County's forests and forest industries provide to the local economy are illustrated in this fact sheet using key figures and statistics. Figures 2–5, describing Fulton County's forest resources, were constructed using data from the 2011 forest survey database provided by the U.S. Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis. Figures 6–9 explain the county's forest industries and were developed from data analyzed using IMPLAN®. Table 1 summarizes the input-output model for Fulton County's economy. (For more information regarding IMPLAN® and the economic impact analyses for Fulton County, please contact the first author in the School of Environment and Natural Resources.)

Benefits of Woodland Management

  • Properly managing your woodland improves forest health, aesthetics, and wildlife habitat. It also provides soil stabilization, clean water, carbon sequestration, self-satisfaction, and a potential source of income.
  • Managing timber requires less long-term inputs compared to many other land uses.
  • You are often able to obtain cost share funds to establish your woodland, property tax credits while managing your forest property, and preferable tax treatment at harvest.
  • Standing timber is a stable form of wealth, often comparable in performance to mutual fund investments.

How Can I Learn to Better Manage My Woodland?

  • Become actively involved in the stewardship of your property.
  • Join your local forestry association, the Northwest Ohio Woodland Association, 419-424-5004.
  • Search Ohio State University Extension's Ohioline for further study of forestry related topics, ohioline.osu.edu.
  • Contact your local service forester at the Ohio Division of Forestry to help you develop a management plan for your property.
  • Obtain soils and management information for trees suited to your soil types at your local Soil and Water Conservation District.
  • Enlist the assistance of a professional forester when planning a timber sale.
  • Consider hiring an Ohio Master Logging Company to conduct your harvesting operation.

Figure 2. Fulton County contains approximately 29,000 forested acres, which is 11.2% of the total land cover. Figures were based on estimates combined from [1,3,5]. Figure 3. Nonindustrial private forest landowners are very important to Fulton County's forest economy as 91.3% (over 26,000 acres) of its forest land is privately owned[5].

Figure 4. Estimated distribution of publicly owned forest lands in Fulton County. Data compiled with assistance from Cotton Randall, Ohio Division of Forestry. Figure 5. Fulton County's forests contain 178 million board feet of sawtimber (1/4" International rule)[5]. As of 2013, very few Ash trees remain alive in Fulton County due to the onset of Emerald Ash Borer.

Figure 6. Fulton County's farmland and forestland production, 2010[2]. This figure does not include harvests from government lands. Figure 7. Direct economic impact of Fulton County's forest industries, 2010[2]. Labor income, value-added, and industrial output are represented on the left Y-axis, and employment is represented on the right Y-axis.

Figure 8. Fulton County's forest industry employers by sector, 2010[2]. Figure 9. Direct tax impact of Fulton County's forest industries, 2010[2].

For More Information, Please Consult the Following Sources

School of Environment and Natural Resources
The Ohio State University
2021 Coffey Rd.
Columbus, OH 43210
Phone: 614-688-3421
Web: ohiowood.osu.eduwoodlandstewards.osu.edu

Ohio State University Extension, Fulton County
8770 SR 108, Suite A
Wauseon, OH 43567
Phone: 419-337-9210
Fax: 419-337-9279
Web: fulton.osu.edu

Ohio Division of Forestry
952-B Lima Ave.
Findlay, OH 45840
Phone: 419-424-5004
Fax: 419-424-5008
Web: forestry.ohiodnr.gov

Fulton Soil and Water Conservation District
8770 SR 108, Suite B
Wauseon, OH 43567
Phone: 419-337-9217
Fax: 419-335-0802

Ohio Society of American Foresters
Web: osafdirectory.com

Ohio Forestry Association
Master Logging Company Program
Office: 746 Morrison Rd., Columbus, OH 43230
Mail: 1100-H Brandywine Blvd.,
Zanesville, OH 43701
Phone: 614-497-9580
Fax: 614-497-9581
Web: ohioforest.org

Call Before You Cut
Phone: 877-424-8288
Web: callb4ucut.com

 


Table 1. Direct industrial contributions within Fulton County’s economy, 2010[2]. The IMPLAN® model’s 440 sectors were aggregated into 12 industries by each sector’s 2-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code number. A (----) indicates less than five employees or a value less than $500,000 to prevent potential disclosure of individual company information.

Industry NAICS Description Employment Labor Income Value-Added Industrial Output
11 Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting 1,147 $31,448,572 $48,293,808 $142,178,855
     113 Forestry and Logging (----) (----) (----) (----)
21 Mining 12 $336,005 $480,129 $840,449
22 Utilities 34 $3,301,054 $13,971,346 $19,218,729
23 Construction 1,433 $51,230,732 $64,805,367 $162,678,102
31–33 Manufacturing 5,813 $332,608,984 $490,189,609 $1,603,218,153
     321 Wood Products Manufacturing 31 $1,114,685 $1,442,871 $4,369,221
     322 Paper Manufacturing 87 $5,869,780 $7,482,298 $32,029,499
     337 Wood Furniture Manufacturing 1,962 $92,284,546 $129,098,472 $268,087,443
42 Wholesale Trade 961 $51,091,878 $102,284,898 $135,602,234
44–45 Retail Trade 1,955 $45,485,683 $69,195,919 $108,814,888
48–49 Transportation and Warehousing 1,092 $38,936,894 $55,654,290 $108,658,065
51–56 Professional Services 3,746 $119,405,770 $346,139,638 $547,917,714
61–72 Educational, Health, and Recreation Services 4,693 $111,053,631 $138,605,449 $271,616,854
81 Other Services 1,823 $47,986,803 $54,022,493 $142,494,577
92 Government and non-NAICS Industries 2,836 $130,844,023 $148,803,720 $172,335,292
      Forest Industries 2,082 $99,421,827 $138,199,875 $304,847,763
Total 25,544 $963,730,031 $1,532,446,668 $3,415,573,912

Terminology[5,6]

Acre: A unit of land measure equal to 43,560 square feet (208.7 feet x 208.7 feet). One square mile equals 640 acres.

Direct Economic Impact: The effect generated by the industry of interest in an economic impact analysis. This is measured through employment, value-added, and industrial output produced to meet demand for the manufactured product(s).

Direct Federal Tax Impact: Taxes collected by the U.S. government. These taxes are generated from labor income, indirect business taxes, households, and corporations associated with the industry of interest.

Direct State and Local Tax Impact: Taxes paid to state, county, and municipal governments. These taxes are generated from labor income, indirect business taxes, households, and corporations associated with the industry of interest.

Employment: The total wage and salary and self-employed jobs in a geographical area.

Indirect Business Taxes: Sales and excise taxes paid by individuals to businesses through normal operations. They do not include taxes on corporate profits and dividends.

Industrial Output: The total value of production measured as the sum of value-added plus the cost of buying goods and services to produce the product(s).

Labor Income: Wages and benefits paid to employees plus proprietary income for self-employed work.

Sawtimber Volume: Net volume in board feet by the International 1/4-inch rule of sawlogs in sawtimber trees on timberland. Gross volume minus the deductions that affect use for lumber equals net volume.

Value-Added: The sum of labor income, interest, profits, and indirect business taxes.

References

[1] U.S. Census. 2010. U.S. census quick facts.

[2] Minnesota IMPLAN Group. 2012. 2010 Ohio state and national package database. MIG, Inc., Hudson, WI.

[3] U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service. 2012. 2010 Ohio county summaries.

[4] U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis. 2012. Northeast Forest Inventory and Analysis Methodology: Common definitions used by FIA.

[5] U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis. 2012. Fulton County 2011 forest survey database.

[6] Minnesota IMPLAN Group. 2004. IMPLAN Professional®: Users Guide, Analysis Guide, Data Guide. 3rd edition. MIG, Inc.

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Originally posted Dec 20, 2013.
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