Economic impact study reveals Northeast loggers and forest truckers contributed an estimated $1.3 billion to the region’s economy in 2024
First-ever study for the region reveals an industry of critical importance in crisis
AUGUSTA, ME – The Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast (PLC) today released results of a comprehensive study of the economic impact of Northeast logging and forest trucking, showing the industry contributed an estimated $1.3 billion to the regional economy in 2024.
The study, The Economic Contribution of Logging and Trucking in the Northeast, conducted by Wallace Economic Advisers, LLC, also revealed that in 2024 logging and forest trucking supported approximately 6,930 Northeast jobs either directly or indirectly, generated $393 million in labor income, pumped an estimated $61 million into state and local tax coffers, and remained critical to a range of industries and communities across the region.
At the same time, the study showed the industry is facing an ever-mounting list of challenges that threaten its future, including loss of markets and market uncertainty, rising costs, shrinking profits, worker shortages, and lack of succession planning.
“This is the first truly regional impact study of its kind for the logging and forest trucking industry, and it clearly demonstrates both the immense importance of the industry to the Northeast, and the very real possibility that the industry has reached a breaking point,” Dana Doran, Executive Director of the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast, said. “The forest economy of the Northeast is built on a foundation provided by loggers and truckers, and anything that threatens that foundation threatens the entire sector, with dire consequences for the region.”
The study looked at the Northeast region as a whole and also included state by state breakdowns of the data. Maine leads the region in logging output followed by New York, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The impact of the industry in other states in the region is smaller but still significant. Numbers by state for 2024 included:
Maine: 2,744 direct logging and trucking jobs, along with an additional 1,715 indirect jobs, for a total of about 4,460 jobs statewide. Total economic output from logging and trucking reached approximately $534 million, the highest in the region, including $283 million in total labor earnings, and generated an estimated $23 million in state tax revenues.
New York: 1,911 direct logging and trucking jobs, along with an additional 500 indirect jobs, for a total of about 2,411 jobs statewide. Total economic output from logging and trucking reached approximately $280 million, including $140 million in total labor earnings, and generated an estimated $19 million in state tax revenues.
New Hampshire: 804 direct logging and trucking jobs, along with an additional 700 indirect jobs, for a total of about 1,504 jobs statewide. Total economic output from logging and trucking reached approximately $243 million, including $94 million in total labor earnings, and generated an estimated $6 million in state tax revenues.
Vermont: 800 direct logging and trucking jobs, along with an additional 500 indirect jobs across the state. Total economic output ranked fourth in the Northeast at approximately $140 million, including $75 million in labor earnings, and generated an estimated $9 million in state tax revenues.
Massachusetts: 440 direct logging and trucking jobs, along with an additional 124 indirect jobs, for a total of about 564 jobs statewide. Total economic output from logging and trucking reached approximately $72 million, including $34 million in total labor earnings, and generated an estimated $3.3 million in state tax revenues.
Connecticut: 208 direct logging and trucking jobs, along with an additional 72 indirect jobs, for a total of about 279 jobs statewide. Total economic output from logging and trucking reached approximately $39 million, including $17 million in total labor earnings, and generated an estimated $1.7 million in state tax revenues.
Rhode Island: 40 direct logging and trucking jobs, along with an additional 24 indirect and induced jobs, for a total of about 64 jobs statewide. Total economic output from logging and trucking reached approximately $8 million, including $2 million in total labor earnings, and generated an estimated $200,000 in state tax revenues.
The study revealed loggers throughout the region are facing many of the same challenges, but they vary in severity depending on location. Loss of markets – particularly low-grade wood markets – was seen as the top threat to the industry by contractors, and only 14 percent of those surveyed believe there are sufficient markets to sell wood. Other threats included the rapid escalation of operating costs relative to stagnant or declining stumpage and delivered-wood rates, rising equipment prices, and an aging workforce with too few new workers.
The study also highlighted important trends in the industry including a shift toward more cut-to-length logging equipment (47%) versus whole-tree (43%) being utilized by logging contractors. Only 11% of contractors continue to fell trees with chainsaws.
In general, the study revealed the size of logging firms has been declining in recent years. In 2024, respondents reported an average employment total of nine workers, with more than half (52%) working in the woods, three in trucking, and the remaining two working in administrative support or as mechanics. This is less than half the average of 22 workers found in 2014.
The study was conducted in the second half of 2025 and included analysis relying on the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’ Regional Input–Output Modeling System (RIMS II), a widely used framework for estimating the total effects of economic activity within a defined region. It also included a survey of 140 logging and trucking firms across the Northeast to build a more comprehensive picture of the industry’s status and impact.
Three similar studies have been conducted by the PLC for the state of Maine only, focusing on 2014, 2017, and 2021 data. The new study’s focus on the entire Northeast region is the first attempt to capture what is happening across states including Maine, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
Founded in Maine in 1995 by a handful of loggers who were concerned about the future of the forest economy, the PLC has grown steadily to become a regional non-profit which provides independent logging and trucking contractors a voice along with a suite of other forest certification programs which are grounded in responsible forest management.
Learn more about the PLC at www.plcloggers.org
