The DNR's Utilization and Marketing Program helps Minnesota's wood-based economy by:
- Providing the most current data and analysis about Minnesota's forests and wood product industries.
- Assisting businesses that makes products from wood fiber, wood energy, and decorative materials.
- Conveying technical information, trends, and technologies about wood to help market forest products and mill residues.
- Connecting industries and partners to grants, incentives, and funding opportunities.
- Growing a market for wood that originates from Minnesota forests managed to be healthy, resilient, productive, and renewable while providing habitat, climate change alleviation, and recreation for all citizens.
Minnesota is home to 17.6 million acres of forests lands. Sustainable forest management is vitally important, providing a healthy forest, economy, and environment to the people of Minnesota.
Forestland owners accomplish the vast majority of their forest management through timber sales and harvest, making it essential to maintain Minnesota's markets for timber, including:
- Pulp and paper
- Engineered wood products (OSB, siding)
- Lumber, cabin logs, building timbers
- Posts, poles, fencing, lath
- Pallets, paneling, flooring
- Animal bedding, mulch, erosion control wood wool (excelsior)
- Dissolved wood pulp for clothing
- Chemicals used in health and beauty products
- Specialty wood products (live edge slabs)
Thirty percent of all wood fiber in Minnesota comes from DNR-administered public lands. A majority of DNR-managed forests are third-party dual FSC/SFI certified to ensure our public forests remain healthy, productive, and sustainable.
The Utilization and Marketing Program provides information, data, and marketing assistance to forest-based industries, public and private entities, and individuals. We strive to create new opportunities through collaborative work and identify emerging markets that fit our forest resource and sustainable management goals.
Sign up for DNR Utilization and Marketing emails where you will receive:
- Periodic updates on available grants, incentives, surveys, and training for primary wood manufactures.
- Periodic updates on forest industry and resources.
Wood industry directories
- Interactive Map of Primary Minnesota Mills - mapping tool connects buyers of wood and paper products to Minnesota's primary mills and assists forest managers and loggers in identifying wood markets.
- Minnesota Primary Forest Products Producer Directory - lists sawmills, pulp and paper mills, oriented-strand board mills, veneer mills, and dry-kiln facilities in Minnesota.
Twin Cities wood utilization information
- Twin Cities Sawmill & Dry Kiln Listing - lists sawmills and dry kilns that serve the Twin Cities metro area, some of which use small volumes of urban wood.
- Is My Yard Tree Valuable as Timber? - helps landowners determine the value of their yard trees.
- Nebraska Forest Service Urban Lumber Production - outlines urban wood study findings and provides urban wood utilization information applicable to MN.
- Dovetail Partners Establishing an Urban Wood Use Program an Introduction - flyer talks about the economic and environmental benefits of urban wood use and arborists' markets for woody residues from urban and community trees.
Marketing assistance for wood-based businesses
- The Wood Product Business Assistance Directory - helps Minnesota's small-to medium-size wood product businesses find technical assistance in marketing, financing, and general business areas.
- Business Management Practice for Small to Medium Sized Forest Product Firms - provides and easy to use guide for business management in the forest products industry.
- International Marketing Practices for Small to Mediums Sized Forest Products Firms - helps small-to medium sized forest products companies successfully enter products into foreign markets.
Information and reports on forest resources, industry and wood utilization
- Minnesota's Forest Resources is an annual publication with information on Minnesota's forest resources and forest industry and trends impacting them.
- Minnesota Residential Fuelwood Survey is part of a long-term effort to monitor trends in the use of fuelwood by residential households and the impact of fuelwood on timber harvest levels.
- MN Forest Industry Fact sheet
- Forest Products Industries' Economic Contributions in the Northeast and Midwest - report that includes MN as one of 20 northeast midwest states to show primary and secondary forest product industries economic impacts region wide utilizing 2017 IMPLAN data.
- Forest Products Industries' Economic Contributions Minnesota Report - includes the lake states primary and secondary forest product industries economic impacts utilizing 2017 IMPLAN data.
- Forest Product Industries' Economic Contributions Minnesota Fact Sheet- highlights from Forest Products Industries' Economic Contribution: Minnesota report.
- Emerging Market Opportunities for Minnesota's Forest products Industry - white paper done by the Great Plains Institute on recommendations for Minnesota to increase market opportunities for the forest products industry.
- MN woody biomass information
Wood Utilization Technical Guides
- Grade Sawing - WI DNR forest products technical guide on sawing logs for grade lumber.
- Edging and Trimming - WI DNR forest products technical guide on edging and trimming lumber.
- Air Drying Lumber - WI DNR forest products technical guide on air drying lumber.
Forest Decorative Material Information
- Minnesota Decorative Materials Directory - (updated 2022) lists some harvesters and purchasers of special (nontimber) forest products in Minnesota, including boughs, spruce tops, seeds, berries, and decoratives.
- Trees and treetops - information on decorative trees or treetops permits and buyers license requirements
- Boughs - information on decorative bough permits and buyers license requirements
- Poles - information on decorative poles or fine woody stem permits and buyers license requirements.
- Taking Balsam Boughs: Minnesota's Balsam Bough Industry - describes balsam bough harvesting and permit requirements.
- Balsam Bough Regulations: Pocket Guide - offers a portable version of balsam bough regulations.
- Minnesota Harvester Handbook - a University of MN Extension guide to sustainable gathering of nontraditional or decorative forest products.
Utilization and Marketing staff
- Scott Burns, Timber Utilization and Marketing Program Coordinator, 483 Peterson Rd. Grand Rapids, MN 55744, 218-322-2514
- Vacant, Timber Utilization and Marketing Consultant
- Jon Drimel, Timber Utilization and Marketing Supervisor, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155, 651-259-5289