New FRA Map Illustrates Reach of US Forest Products Industry

Our friends at Forest Resources Association (FRA) have a large and diverse membership throughout the United States. FRA is also the only national trade association that represents the entire wood supply chain from the woods to the mill, and its members include logging businesses, timber haulers, pulp and paper mills, biomass/bioenergy companies, engineered wood producers, and allied businesses.

FRA recently partnered with Forest2Market to develop a map that displays the vast reach and locations of its membership base. The map demonstrates FRA’s tremendous grassroots potential: FRA members have a presence in 49 states and 377 Congressional districts.

The FRA membership map shows primary facilities that directly connect the woods to the mill supply chain. These facilities include consuming mills that manufacture products directly from harvested logs, pulpwood, chips, and biomass. Secondary facilities are those managed by FRA members that utilize the products produced by the primary facilities to manufacture value-added products and are also shown.

FRA’s new map also tells a story of the association’s membership and the entire forest products industry. The South, the Appalachians, the Pacific Northwest, the Upper Midwest, and the upper Northeast are the major US wood production locations.

This new map also supports FRA’s lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill. It is essential that FRA leverage its broad presence throughout the country so that the organization can work effectively to continue to promote members’ interests in Washington, DC.

• Membership reach includes a substantial presence in the states of Georgia, Idaho, Maine, South Carolina, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Alabama, Virginia, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania.
• Thirty states have more than 10 FRA member companies, and 309 congressional districts have more than one FRA member company.

This extensive presence allows FRA to better connect with these states’ Senators to advance FRA issues. Similarly, the table below indicates the Congressional districts where many FRA members are located.

Table 1. Congressional Districts with the most FRA members.

Forest2Market is proud to have partners with FRA to help develop this new membership map. It is a powerful tool that demonstrates the breadth and importance of the forest products industry across the United States.