FORESTRY IN FLORIDA AND BAY COUNTY
Forests are the dominant land use in Florida. They cover almost half of Florida’s 34 million acres of land. Three quarters of Florida’s forests are in private ownership. There are an estimated 300,000 private forest landowners in the state, ranging from large corporate timber companies to small farm woodlots. Forests and the forest products industry are also important to Florida, contributing over $8 billion annually to the economy. There are over 150,000 forest related jobs in Florida, with payroll receipts exceeding $1.25 billion annually.

How important is forestry in Bay County?
 
Bay County has 488,800 acres of land. Forests are the major land use in covering 82% of the area. Forest industry owns the greatest amount of forest land (53%).
What is the value of forest products to Bay County?
 
Value of standing timber: 

Value of harvest (1996): 

Direct employees: 

Indirect employees: 

Payroll receipts: 

Forest manufacturing & forest value added: 

Total sale value of agriculture products (crop, animals, orchard)

 $140 million 

$12 million 

1,200 

3,720 

$35 million 

$228 million 

$831,000

 This list of the forest products in Bay County does not include recreation, or other non-timber products and environmental services forests provide. Products include revenues from hunting leases, pine straw, and ecotourism. Services forests provide include greenspace, landscape diversity, visual aesthetics, water quality, and soil conservation.
For more information contact the Bay County Extension Office: 324 West 6th St. Panama City, Fl 32401-2616 (904) 784-6105
or visit their web site at:<http://gnv.ifas.ufl.edu/www/county/bayop.htm

Compiled by Dr. M. Jacobson and John Vericker, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, IFAS, University of Florida

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