Minnesota DNR celebrating National Forest Products Week

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is joining partners across the country in recognizing National Forest Products Week (Oct. 18-24), highlighting how healthy, well-managed forests provide renewable wood products and support local economies.

Minnesota’s 60 state forests are sustainably managed to balance ecological, economic and social benefits. For more than 20 years, the DNR's state forest management practices have been certified under both the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) and Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) standards, reflecting a commitment to responsible forest management. As forests grow, they filter air and water, absorb and store carbon dioxide, and provide large areas of habitat for wildlife and places for humans to recreate. Forests also provide renewable forest products, contributing more than $25 billion in economic output and supporting more than 72,000 jobs across Minnesota communities.

Minnesota’s forests produce a variety of products. Larger saw logs are used for lumber, while smaller trees are used to make paper, mulch, animal bedding, and pulp used in clothing and beauty products. Wood residue is used as biomass, creating heat and electricity for homes.

Wood products also have climate benefits because they can store carbon for decades and are often less energy-intensive to manufacture than alternatives like plastic. When accounting for the carbon sequestration of growing forests, the forest industry is the only economic sector in Minnesota that absorbs more carbon than it emits, helping offset the state’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

Timber harvest is a key tool to manage forests for long-term health and resilience, meaning loggers, mills and other parts of the forest products industry are important partners in forest stewardship. A thoughtfully planned harvest achieves goals like creating space for younger trees, diversifying wildlife habitat or removing trees threatened by insects or disease. Before any trees are harvested, DNR foresters always have a plan for reforestation.

“Sustainably managed forests are pretty amazing – we can meet the needs of today while making sure future generations have healthy forests too,” said Jeremy Fauskee, consultant for the DNR’s Marketing and Utilization Program.

This National Forest Products Week, the DNR encourages Minnesotans to choose products from sustainably managed forests. Doing so benefits communities and ensures healthy forests now and into the future. More information can be found on the DNR’s Marketing and Utilization webpage.

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