Grand Rapids Reporter

Michigan's logging industry has grown since Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) took office.

“Michigan has abundant and diverse forests across the state which provide the renewable raw material for our diverse forest products industries," Bill O’Brion, general manager at Lyme Great Lakes Forest Management, said in a news release from the governor's office. "These industries produce a wide array of products ranging from bioenergy to paper, lumber, flooring, and furniture. The skilled workers in our manufacturing, logging, and transportation sectors are the backbone of our industry. 

"The good news is we continue to grow more wood than we use in the state, so there is ample opportunity to continue to expand the forest products economy and the jobs it creates."

Other industries highlighted by Whitmer included trade, transportation, and utilities, the news release noted. Those sectors accounted for 794,300 jobs in the state before Whitmer took office. An additional 8,400 jobs were added as of August.

"Michigan's distinct geographic advantages position our state as a center for trade and a hub of natural resources, ensuring that we have the momentum to keep growing our economy," Whitmer said in the news release. "In the last few years, we have grown our trade, transportation, and utility workforce, and our mining and logging industries have strong momentum as our manufacturing workforce grows.

"There is still plenty of work to do to grow both of these industries, and I will work with anyone to ensure hardworking Michiganders have paths to land high-skill construction or manufacturing jobs with good pay and great benefits. Let's keep getting it done."

Cathy Hendrian, senior vice president of people and culture at Consumers Energy, spoke about the utility industry. 

"Consumers Energy and other Michigan energy providers are forces for change and offer opportunities for rewarding careers that are transforming our state," Hendrian said in the news release. "We are developing new clean energy solutions, from solar and wind energy to battery storage and electric vehicles, that will not only continue to grow our industry but help Michigan innovate and lead the nation."