Forest business – Overview

Forest resources form the basis of the economy for many of Alberta's rural and Indigenous communities, and play an important role in the diversification of the provincial economy. An estimated $6.5 billion has been invested in forest product manufacturing operations in the past decade.

Alberta's forest industry directly employs over 17,500 Albertans and 23,900 people in supporting occupations. Industry revenues exceed $7.6 billion from harvesting operations and the sale of lumber, pulp, newsprint, wood panels, engineered wood products, renewable electricity, wood pellets, and ecosystem services.

In 2020, buyers from the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the European Union and other export markets purchased over $4 billion worth of Alberta forest products. Alberta's stringent environmental and forest products standards highlight why buyers around the world consistently choose our products.

For more details on Alberta’s forest economy, see Alberta’s forest economy 2022 – A handbook of public economic and socioeconomic accounts.