As changes occur in Alabama’s forest resource base, coupled with foreign and domestic market influences as well as technological advances, the forest products industry in Alabama is always in a state of change.

The Alabama Forestry Commission is dedicated to the task of developing, attracting, and locating opportunities for Alabama’s forest products firms. This concentration of efforts is aimed toward Alabama’s existing forest industry base and secondary forest product opportunities which complement established operations.

The Forestry Commission is part of the Forestry TEAM that provides development information, such as resource analysis, site availability, fiber cost analysis, transportation, and available idle operations.  The TEAM provides resources in a cooperative effort utilizing different levels of expertise available through the different agencies that TEAM consists of. 

World demand for forest products is projected to increase rapidly. Alabama, with it's strong primary roundwood-using industry and transportation systems, is in an excellent position to capitalize on this growth in demand and to increase forest products exports significantly. The Commission provides strong technical support for existing firms and for development of new markets to enhance and initiate international trade activities. Existing firms in Alabama, with a concentration in small to medium size operations, are assisted in international finance, match marketing, freight rate quotations, trade shows, trade leads, quality control, trade missions, and raw material sourcing. This direct assistance has enabled forest product firms in Alabama to capture increased markets. 

However, a very well-know and respected price index that provides regional timber prices can be found on the Timber Mart South website.  This index provides useful timber price averages for the Southeast as well as price trends.

A timber harvest marks completion of many years of growth and should be carefully considered. If done properly, the landowner will profit from the sale and, equally important, the site will be protected for the next reforestation.

Getting the most money shouldn’t be the only objective of a timber sale. Future productivity of the land and protection of streams, young timber stands, and erodible soils should be equally important to the landowner.

Biomass for Energy Production

The growing and use of biomass to develop the bio-based industry is compatible with and will enhance current forestry and agricultural practices.  These resources are renewable and sustainable, and can be expanded as the need increases.  Biomass fuels have the potential to reduce our dependence on natural gas and imported oil, and should be an integral part of state and national energy policy.

There are significant environmental benefits associated with using biomass to produce energy.  Emissions are less than from the burning of fossil fuels.  When forests are managed to include an early energy thinning, the remaining stand will be healthier, higher quality, wildlife habitat improved, wildfire risk reduced, while not compromising water quality.

Renewable energy is an area of growing interest in the United States. A combination of recent political and economic events has brought the subject of domestic renewable energy into the center of both the public and political arenas. Rising prices for fossil fuels, and in particular natural gas, have been cause to re-evaluate various renewable energy sources that have previously been considered economically unviable. At the same time, continuing turmoil and political instability in international oil producing regions has called into question the potential ramifications of the United States’ continuing dependence on these regions for a major portion of its energy supply. Finally, the nation's concern for maintaining a clean and healthy environment has provided a continuing impetus to search for alternatives to fossil fuels and their inherent environmental problems.

Alabama has the potential to be at the forefront of a large developing biomass energy industry. The significant availability of woody biomass in this State provides the potential for an abundant fuel source at reasonable cost. Favorable economic and political forces are converging that could stimulate the development of such a biomass energy industry in the near future. Large-scale gasification of wood to produce syngas for use in electrical generating plants is one promising technology that appears to have significant potential. This technology, along with other biomass energy conversion technologies, warrants further evaluation and could potentially provide multiple benefits for the economic and environmental well-being of our State.