Study: Logging in Minnesota well below capacity

A new study by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says Minnesota can sustain nearly twice the current amount of logging going on in the state.

The study by a University of Minnesota researcher says wood industries could cut 5.5 million cords each year, yet the current harvest is only about half that.

Keith Jacobson, the DNR's forest products utilization program supervisor, says the housing crash and recession are contributing factors to the lower harvest.

He says the state is hoping the forest products industry will recover and find uses for more of Minnesota's timber.