A Review of Changes in US Logging Businesses 1980s–Present

Timber is harvested in the United States by thousands of independent logging businesses. Fully mechanized, wholetree harvesting systems are the most common and most productive systems in most states, although chainsaw systems persist in mountainous terrain and cut-to-length systems are common in the Lake States. Southern loggers are most productive, with many logging businesses producing more than 70,000 tons yr-1 while loggers in other regions average