“April of this year [1972] marks the 100th anniversary of Arbor Day, an observance that holds as much significance for the future as it does for the past.

“On a monument erected in Nebraska City to commemorate the founding father of this celebration, J. Sterling Morton, there is this inscription: ‘Other Holidays Repose Upon The Past; Arbor Day Proposes For The Future.’ So it does, for the planting of trees is an action that yields a long-range benefit on generations to come. Arbor Day uniquely symbolizes the truth that the earth belongs to every generation, not just to ours.

“Einstein is believed to have said that a person should put back into this world at least as much as he takes out of it. The best available evidence suggests that an individual American, in his lifetime, uses the wood produced by some 200 mature trees. It is probably too much to expect that each American plant that many trees, but it is not too much to ask that each American assume a large, personal responsibility for renewing and preserving our environmental heritage.”

Key Stats

Source: 2021 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates.

Table B24010, Sex by Occupation for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and Over

Note: These are modified images of the original table to highlight male and female forestry occupations. Click on either image for the full table.

More Stats

From Census.gov > Business & Economy > Construction Spending (since 1964):

Value of Construction Put in Place (2022-2023), notice “Conservation and development”

From Census.gov > Business and Economy > Retail > Monthly Retail Trade (1992-2023):

444: Building Mat. and Garden Equip. and Supplies Dealers: U.S. Total, Sales - Monthly

Source: 2020 Annual Business Survey (ABS).

Table AB2000CSA01, Annual Business Survey: Statistics for Employer Firms by Industry, Sex, Ethnicity, Race, and Veteran Status for the U.S., States, and Metro Areas: 2020, featuring NAICS 113, Forestry and Logging

Source: 1978-2020 Business Dynamics Statistics (BDS).

Table BDSEAGE, Business Dynamics Statistics: Establishment Age: 1978-2020

Source: 2020 County Business Patterns (CBP).

Table CB2000CBP, All Sectors: County Business Patterns, including ZIP Code Business Patterns, by Legal Form of Organization and Employment Size Class for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2020, notice these 6 Codes:

NAICS 11, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
NAICS 113, Forestry and Logging
NAICS 1131, Timber Tract Operations
NAICS 1132, Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products
NAICS 1133, Logging
NAICS 42331, Lumber, Plywood, Millwork, and Wood Panel Merchant Wholesalers

Source: 2019 Nonemployer Statistics (NES).

Table NS1900NONEMP, All Sectors: Nonemployer Statistics for the U.S., States, Metropolitan Areas, and counties; and by Legal Form of Organization and Sales, Value of Shipments, or Revenue Size for Selected Geographies: 2019, featuring the first 2 Codes listed above

From the 2017 Economic Census:

Table EC1700BASIC, All Sectors: Summary Statistics for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2017, showing NAICS 42331, Lumber, Plywood, Millwork, and Wood Panel Merchant Wholesalers

From Business and Economy > International Trade Data:

USA Trade Online — The Official Source of Trade Statistics

After you create an account, select options for Harmonized System (HS) or HS, select Exports or Imports, type “tree” in the Commodity search box, then select options for geography and time. Select Report for data. More information can be found in the Quick Start Guide.

From the Library: