Forestry and Logging Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Forestry and Logging Market is projected to expand from USD 289.76 Billion in 2025 to USD 432.18 Billion by 2031, achieving a compound annual growth rate of 6.89%. This market involves the commercial administration, cultivation, and harvesting of timber resources to provide raw materials for sectors such as construction, paper manufacturing, and energy. A major factor driving this growth is the increasing demand for sustainable packaging solutions, driven by the rise of online retail and a consumer shift toward renewable materials, alongside the growing use of biomass for energy production. Data from the Confederation of European Paper Industries indicates that paper and board consumption rose by 7.5 percent in 2024, demonstrating the robust industrial demand for forest-derived products.

Nevertheless, the market faces significant obstacles due to strict environmental regulations and conservation policies aimed at curbing deforestation and protecting biodiversity. These legal frameworks often restrict access to harvestable land and enforce rigorous compliance standards, which increase operational costs for logging companies. Consequently, the challenge of balancing high production targets with these restrictive regulatory requirements presents a major hurdle that could constrain supply chains and hinder the overall expansion of the forestry sector.

Market Drivers

The accelerating use of mass timber in sustainable construction is a significant propeller for the forestry and logging market. As the construction industry strives to decarbonize, cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glulam are increasingly adopted as renewable substitutes for steel and concrete, directly driving demand for high-quality timber logs. This transition is bolstered by updated building codes and a growing focus on green building certifications that encourage the use of wood in structural applications. According to the 'Mass Timber Construction: Making the Case' report by WoodWorks in April 2024, the cumulative number of mass timber projects in design and construction within the United States hit 2,035, underscoring the rapid scalability of this segment as a major consumer of harvested timber.

Additionally, the expansion of residential housing and infrastructure development continues to be a fundamental driver of global timber consumption. Rapid urbanization and the necessity to address housing shortages in key markets require substantial amounts of sawn wood for framing and structural components, particularly in the single-family housing sector where wood is favored for its structural integrity and cost-efficiency. The National Association of Home Builders projected in their 'Single-Family Starts will Rise in 2024' report from February 2024 that single-family housing starts would increase by 4.7 percent to an annual rate of 988,000 units. To meet these broad industrial needs, major forestry enterprises are maintaining significant outputs; for example, Weyerhaeuser reported $7.7 billion in net sales in its '2023 Annual Report' (January 2024), highlighting the massive scale of capital moving through the timberland management sector.

Market Challenges

The Global Forestry and Logging Market confronts a significant barrier resulting from the enforcement of rigorous environmental regulations and conservation policies. These legal frameworks, established to protect biodiversity, directly reduce the total acreage available for commercial timber harvesting. By limiting access to resource-rich forests, these policies generate a scarcity of raw materials that disrupts upstream supply chains. Moreover, the operational strain of meeting strict compliance standards forces enterprises to direct substantial capital toward regulatory adherence, increasing production costs and rendering many logging operations economically impractical in highly regulated areas.

This regulatory pressure exerts a tangible negative effect on industry output and infrastructure. As compliance costs escalate and harvestable land decreases, production capacities are frequently scaled back or facilities are idled to control losses. Data from the American Forest & Paper Association indicates that total U.S. paper and paperboard capacity declined by 2 percent in 2024. Such contractions emphasize the link between restrictive operating environments and the market's struggle to sustain growth. Consequently, these constraints not only reduce timber availability but also discourage long-term investment, effectively impeding the sector's overall expansion.

Market Trends

The rise of Forest Carbon Sequestration and Offset Markets is fundamentally transforming industry valuation models, as forestry assets are increasingly appraised for their environmental benefits alongside timber production. Companies are incorporating carbon capture metrics into their operational strategies to generate high-quality carbon credits, which are traded to offset industrial emissions. This monetization of ecosystem services encourages the preservation of older growth stocks and the application of silvicultural practices that maximize biomass density, effectively converting forests into dual-revenue assets. In its 'Annual Report 2023' released in February 2024, SCA reported contributing to a significant climate benefit of nearly 13 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, demonstrating the vast scale of carbon capture potential within commercially managed forests.

Simultaneously, the widespread adoption of Precision Forestry Technologies is revolutionizing timberland management through the use of digital twins, satellite imagery, and advanced data analytics. These tools enable granular monitoring of forest health, growth rates, and harvest optimization, significantly reducing operational waste and enhancing the accuracy of yield predictions. The integration of these digital systems supports real-time decision-making and precise asset valuation, which are becoming essential for large-scale enterprises managing extensive biological inventories. For instance, Stora Enso's 'Annual Report 2023' from February 2024 noted that the fair value of the group's forest assets rose to EUR 8.7 billion, underscoring the critical need for sophisticated monitoring systems to manage and appraise high-value biological capital.

Key Players Profiled in the Forestry and Logging Market

• Weyerhaeuser Company
• China Forestry Group Corporation
• Rayonier Inc.
• PotlatchDeltic Corp
• Forestry Commission of New South Wales
• China Jilin Forest Industry Group Co Ltd.
• Tilhill Forestry Ltd.
• CatchMark Timber Trust Inc.
• Hancock Victorian Plantations Pty Ltd.
• Oji Holdings Corporation

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Forestry and Logging Market has been segmented into the following categories:

Forestry and Logging Market, by Type:

• Logging
• Timber Tract Operations
• Forest Nurseries
• Gathering Of Forest Products

Forestry and Logging Market, by Application:

• Construction
• Industrial Goods
• Others

Forestry and Logging Market, by Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Forestry and Logging Market.

Available Customization

The analyst offers customization according to your specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

This product will be delivered within 1-3 business days.