A Great Future Ahead with Michigan’s Forest Biomaterials

We love our forests. They nurture both our environment and our souls and are an important economic resource. With the 5th largest forested area in the United States, Michigan has supplied the world with forest products and has been an important part of the United States’ economy. However, over the past decades many factors have led to the decline of this great industry. A closer examination is needed of this industry’s dilemma. The Michigan Forest Biomaterials Institute (MIFBI) is a hub for connecting industry, academia, and government toward the goal of creating and preserving great forests, strong communities, and a thriving Michigan forest bioeconomy.

Conventional forest products may never reach the industry’s high levels again. Michigan, however, has the potential to reverse the industry’s trending decline by utilizing leading-edge biomaterials. We need this industry to maintain sustainability.

Michigan’s 20 million acres of woodlands are a major part of the state’s identity. These forests provide Michigan with clean water, clean air, and wildlife habitat, as well as recreation and economic opportunities.  2.2 million acres, or 18%, of forested land is enrolled in Michigan's Commercial Forest Program (CF), with active forest management plans and regular harvest activity.   Around 300,000 acres, or 14% of CF land, is cut every year. 

Much of the forest in Northern Lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula is classified as northern hardwoods, made up of maple, beech, and birch. These forests produce high-quality hardwood lumber which can be used in furniture, flooring, and work surfaces. Michigan also has large areas of aspen forests, which along with softwood species, provide pulpwood for the manufacture of paper products. In the southern part of the state, where the land is dominated by agriculture, there are areas of oak forests, with additional southern hardwood species, though there is little forest management activity in this part of the state.

With such an expanse of quality timberlands, it’s understandable that Michigan is home to a long legacy of profiting from our forests.

Between 1840 and 1900, much of the state’s forests were logged. By 1869, Michigan was the leading lumber producer in the USA. In the early 20th century, conservation created public entities, such as the US Forest Service and the Michigan DNR, turned their focus towards reforestation and the establishment of forest reserves. This work was accelerated during the Great Depression, where the Civilian Conservation Corps supplied the manpower to plant conifer stands across public and private lands.  By the 1960s, these forests had matured, and Michigan again became a potential major area for producing forest products in the Great Lakes region. 

Today, this forest industry still provides Michigan with over $20 billion in total output and provides over 90,000 total jobs, from logging to manufacturing. Michigan has a globally recognized office furniture industry, and the forest products sector makes up a notable portion of the state's manufacturing jobs.

 In 2018, the DNR reported that Michigan had 305 operating mills, 84% of which were sawmills.  In the calendar year, mills in the Upper Peninsula and Lower Peninsula received roughly the same volume of wood. Of that wood, around 40% was harvested in the Upper Peninsula, around 50% harvested in the Lower Peninsula, and 10% harvested outside of Michigan.

As demand for pulpwood changes, there is a pathway for Michigan to add value to its forest products industry with the production of innovative biomaterials. Extracting value from every step of the supply chain, like processing waste and creating ways to recycle low-value wood, is a sustainable way forward.

A circular economic model is complex, but its primary goal is to create a system that transforms and recycles renewable resources to extend their use, while generating little waste and pollution. An example of this model in action is the use of papermill waste (lignin) as an alternative material to plastic.

Scroll through to learn about innovative uses for forest products that can be a part of Michigan's sustainable bioeconomy.

Michigan is home to a number of public and private institutions working on innovative uses for biomaterials and the implementation of a circular bioeconomy. Explore the map below to learn more about just a sampling of Michigan’s research facilities and their work.

MIFBI accomplishes its mission through its work as a nonprofit organization that aims to promote the implementation of biomaterials in Michigan by bridging the gaps between industry, academia, and government actors. This independent collaboration among various sectors across the state is an advantage that MIFBI brings to its work. Since its founding as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2016, MIFBI has hosted large group events and webinars, as well as connecting entities on an individual level, focusing on a broad range of elements of the forest bioeconomy, and bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders.

"The mission of the Michigan Forest Biomaterials Institute (MIFBI) is to enhance quality of life in Michigan by fostering sustainable forests, communities, and economies through innovative and responsible production, use, and recycling of forest biomaterials."