An Overview of Green Jobs in the Louisiana Forest Sector

The term green job is a relatively new definition that defines employment activities that are likely to have occurred since the beginning of human existence. The push to identify, to quantify and to drive the growth of these jobs has recently been brought on by climate change and the depletion of Earths natural resources. According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, green jobs are either (a) Jobs in businesses that produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources or (b) Jobs in which workers duties involve making their establishments production processes more environmentally friendly or use fewer natural resources. For the purposes of this study, seven green job categories were used.1.Education, Public Awareness, and Compliance2.Energy Efficiency3.Green Certification4.Greenhouse Gas Reduction5.Pollution Reduction and Cleanup6.Recycling and Waste Reduction7.Renewable EnergyIn order to obtain information on green jobs in the Louisiana forest sector, a mail survey was administered to the known population of the Louisiana forest sector supply chain. Member sectors included loggers, primary producers, secondary manufacturers and brokers/distributors. The overarching objectives of the study were to classify and quantify current and future green jobs in the Louisiana forest sector and to develop an understanding of supply chain member attitudes and behaviors in the context of green jobs.Results indicate that a wide array of green jobs exist in the industry. Each green category is well represented and overall, respondents consider 12.7 percent of employment in the sector to be green. Additionally, respondents forecast that 16.7 percent of employment in the forest sector supply chain will be green in five years. Increased profits, government incentives and regulations and public perception were reported to be likely drivers of green job creation. Respondents claimed to have a clear understanding of the term sustainability while there were misconceptions about the term green jobs and their potential impacts on the industry. Study results suggest that education and, potentially training would benefit forest sector members that participate in the green jobs arena.