Coordinated mail surveys of logging businesses in the Lake States of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin were conducted in spring 2017 to assess the status and capacity of the sector in 2016. Many similarities among logging businesses were noted across the region. Despite the presence of many small logging businesses, much of the volume (58 percent) is produced by a few large producers (13 percent) who seem to have an advantage over their smaller counterparts. Businesses and business owners are aging (average business duration, 27 years and average owner age, 54 years), and the majority are producing below their full operational capacity and achieving break-even profit levels. About one-fourth of the businesses intend to exit the market in the next 5 years, and there is a lack of factors attracting new workforce members into business. Differences exist among states in terms of harvesting systems used, source and method of timber procurement, and transportation strategy adopted.

中文翻译：

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密歇根州，明尼苏达州和威斯康星州的湖州的伐木业：现状，问题和机遇

2017年春季，对密歇根湖州，明尼苏达州和威斯康星州的伐木企业进行了邮件协调调查，以评估2016年该行业的状况和产能。该地区的伐木企业之间存在许多相似之处。尽管有许多小型伐木公司，但大部分（58％）的产量是由一些大型生产者（13％）生产的，这些生产者似乎比小型生产者更具优势。企业和企业主正在老龄化（平均业务持续时间为27年，平均拥有者年龄为54年），并且大多数企业的生产能力低于其全部运营能力，并实现了收支平衡。大约有四分之一的企业打算在未来5年内退出市场，而且缺少吸引新的劳动力成员进入企业的因素。