This study analyzed logging industry employment and profitability in recent decades in the U.S. based on Occupational Employment Statistics (OES), Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI), Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), and Timber Product Output (TPO) Reports. The logging industry in the U.S. has experienced reduced employment with an aging workforce over the past two decades. The changes might be related to increased productivity from mechanization, combined with reduced demand for logging, but estimates of capital and labor productivity for logging are not available. To overcome the data limitation, a simple and cost-effective economic model, Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA) Model, was applied to estimate the profitability of the entire industry at a state level. It was found that the reduced demand and increased operating costs led to poor profitability and a wave of closures of logging firms but also accelerated the adjustment in the logging industry. Serious challenges facing the forestry sector include the lack of an effective monitoring tool for the logging industry, structural shortage of logging labor, and rising operating costs.

There are limited data about the incidence and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among loggers in the southern U.S. despite the risk factors associated with these occupations. Risk factors are both personal (age, body mass index, etc.) and job-related (awkward postures, repetitive hand and foot movements, vibration, etc.). A survey was conducted to estimate the incidence of self-reported pain and diagnosed MSDs and to study the relationship with known risk factors. Respondents were loggers attending training and continuing education classes. Respondents were asked to identify personal attributes, machine use, awkward postures, repetitive movements, and recent incidence of pain and medical diagnoses. All were male with an average age of 44 (range of 19-67) and an average body mass index of 31.3. Most were machine operators (97%) who have worked in the logging industry for an average of 22.9 years. Most machines identified were manufactured within the past ten years (average machine age 6.7 years). For machine operators, 10.5% (16) reported an MSD diagnosis, 74.3% (113) reported at least mild back pain, and 71.7% (109) reported at least mild neck pain over the past year. Further analysis attempted to identify an association between personal attributes, machine use, posture, and pain. Risk factors related to machine use may be biased since most survey respondents had considerable choice or control in working conditions, as they were firm owners and/or supervisors.