National Forest Products Week

Floor Speech

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the importance of the forest products industry as we celebrate National Forest Products Week. The forest products industry provides critical contributions to the economy of Georgia and the United States.

In my home state of Georgia, forestry and logging activities employ over 8,600 people; wood products manufacturing facilities employ over 16,800; and pulp and paper manufacturing facilities provide over 18,800 jobs--amounting to a minimum of 44,200 jobs provided by the forest products industry in the State of Georgia alone. Furthermore, these industries contribute over $2 billion to annual payrolls in Georgia, which underscores the vitality of the forestry industry to the state's economy.

In addition to the positive economic impact, the forest products industry has made important technological advances in building design to improve the energy efficiency, speed of construction, and environmental performance of buildings. Industry innovation has created new opportunities to expand the use of wood building materials in construction by providing more cost-savings, quicker construction times, and fewer impacts to the environment than alternative building materials.

In fact, lumber is the only building material that naturally-impounds carbon, significantly reducing the overall carbon footprint of a construction project. Additionally, wood manufacturing requires far less energy and results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions than other common construction materials, as noted in a study by the U.S. Forest Service.

As Americans continue to improve the energy efficiency of our buildings, it is essential that we encourage the use of wood in homes and buildings, particularly federal government buildings, where the efficiency savings gained from using forest products can be passed on to the taxpayers.
Given the positive economic and environmental impact on Georgia and on the country as whole, I am pleased to honor the fine companies and employees of this industry during National Forest Products Week.

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