Structural Analysis of Forest Product Businesses in GumushaneProvince

In total, 95% of all business enterprises established in Turkey are micro-scale, and this figure increases to 98.6% in the forest products industry. Micro-scale enterprises are important in terms of production, employment, and overcoming economic imbalances among regions. The forest products industry, which includes three subdivisions within the manufacturing sector, occupies an important place in the overall Turkish manufacturing sector. Thus, this study examined the structural characteristics of forest product enterprises in Gumushane Province. The research involved in-person interviews with personnel at 47 enterprises. The data revealed that the sawmill division was especially important with respect to the use of local poplar logs. The sawmill and furniture divisions accounted for 28% of all enterprises and 26% of all employees in the manufacturing sector in Gumushane. We found that 57% of enterprises had difficulty in finding working capital and 55% of enterprises experienced shortages of labour. The average contribution of each forest products business to employment (2.55) was more than that of other manufacturers in Gumushane (2.27). The forest product businesses in Gumushane resemble other micro-scale enterprises located in other regions of Turkey in terms of their structural properties.