The Voice of the Forest Products Industry in Ohio

Started in 1903 as the Ohio State Forestry Society, our association is Ohio’s oldest conservation organization. Today, the Ohio Forestry Association, Inc. (OFA) operates as a trade association of Ohio forest products industry and forestry interests. It is an association of more than 650 members representing wood products manufacturers, sawmills, logging companies, foresters and forestry consultants, forest landowners, equipment companies, and service firms.

OFA is an independent organization, operating not-for-profit and chartered to promote the general welfare of the people and private enterprise of the state of Ohio. The association supports the management of Ohio’s forest resources and improvement of business conditions for the benefits of its members in their endeavors to engage in forestry-related industries and enterprises.

The Association’s core beliefs and guiding principles are:

That a broad and diverse membership is healthy and necessary;
That Ohio’s forestry community is unified in purpose;
That forest management is good, right and necessary;
That forest management is the sustainable use of forest resources;
All members have an obligation to manage Ohio’s forests for the common good;
That the members benefit from management of Ohio’s forest resources;
That safety information and training is beneficial to the membership;
That scientific research focused on forests, water and soils is beneficial; and
That every member should promote and provide education on multiple use forest management.
OFA is dedicated to strengthening & expanding the wood products industry for the benefit of Ohio companies, employees, customers, landowners, & the general public. OFA provides information & services to members through networking opportunities, educational programs, trade shows, financial benefit programs, & legislative representation.

The Ohio forest products industry is surprisingly large and robust, and has an Ohio economic impact of over $30 billion per year. Over 50,000 people are directly employed in forest products manufacturing and services in Ohio.

The industry is supported by a forest base of nearly 8 million acres of woodlands, growing some of the highest quality hardwoods in the world. A state harvest of nearly 500 million board feet per year is less than half the amount of wood grown by the forests, indicating that Ohio is sustainably growing and harvesting its forest resource. These forests are largely owned by nearly 350,000 private landowners who provide the wood resource needed to support such a successful industry.