For the last decade, the United States forest products industry has experienced unprecedented change with the combined impact of globalization, extreme economic volatility, and rapid technological advancement. These factors make it increasingly difficult for many timber companies to maintain their competitive advantage. To cope, old operating assumptions are often discarded, and many forest managers are struggling to keep up. In addition, the market has influenced stakeholders to increase pressure on timber suppliers to implement environmental sustainability strategies across the supply chain. The forest industry has never been more diverse, interconnected, and competitive than it is today. This paper will focus on the use of innovative technologies that have generated permanent benefits for modern forest companies as they respond to today’s increasingly challenging and rapidly evolving business climate.
