The AHC and the West Virginia Division of Forestry have launched a new series of reports to help the industry gauge the level of activity in the forest products sector. We will be reporting the number of starting logging jobs as well as the acreage involved by month in comparison to last year, the three year, and ten year average values. Hopefully this will provide you with an interesting perspective into the status of the industry at any given time.
Total Logging Starts (January – March, 2013)
|
Current |
Last Year |
Three Year Average |
Ten Year Average |
||||
|
Month |
Starts |
Starts |
Change |
Starts |
Change |
Starts |
Change |
|
January |
237 |
210 |
+13% |
212 |
+12% |
262 |
-10% |
|
February |
177 |
168 |
+5% |
152 |
+16% |
203 |
-13% |
|
March |
162 |
162 |
- |
177 |
-8% |
252 |
-36% |
Total Logging Acreage (January – March, 2013)
|
Current |
Last Year |
Three Year Average |
Ten Year Average |
||||
|
Month |
Acres |
Acres |
Change |
Acres |
Change |
Acres |
Change |
|
January |
18,819 |
12,172 |
+55% |
13,309 |
+41% |
17,646 |
+6% |
|
February |
12,995 |
11,232 |
+16% |
9,982 |
+30% |
13,027 |
-0.3% |
|
March |
9831 |
10,537 |
-7% |
11,793 |
-16% |
16,794 |
-41% |
Logging job starts were higher in January and February versus last year and the three year average; however, they have not yet reached the level of 10-year starts. March starts matched last years level, however, they are significantly below the three year and ten year average.
Acreage wise, both January and February were significantly greater than the level last year as well as the three year average and were very similar to the ten year average. March saw the same retreat in acreage as in the number jobs – they were below last years levels and significantly below the three year and ten year average levels. As many would guess, this is likely due to the weather patterns we experienced in March which made it hard to finish current operations and move onto new sites.
If you find other metrics related to logging starts that might assist you, please do not hesitate to contact us. We hope the timber start reporting system will grow into worthwhile venture based on your input.