As the budget battles continue in Olympia, state lawmakers are rightly focusing on the need to retain and expand good-paying aerospace and high-tech manufacturing jobs.
At the same time, we shouldn’t overlook — or take for granted — the considerable economic contributions of Washington’s traditional industries.
For example, forestry was the first economic powerhouse in our state, dating back to 1849.
The Washington Forest Protection Association reports that today more than 50,000 people are employed in forest products, including pulp and paper production. When you add in contractors and suppliers, as well as the economic impact of employee spending, Washington’s prolific forests support 118,548 jobs, paying almost $5.3 billion a year. read more »