Out of specialized industries, the Forestry Industry in Cities Skylines 2 is the easiest one to set up. With minimal to no work required, you can easily add it to your industrial zones. The forestry industry produces wood, which is a highly in-demand product.
Before setting up the Forestry Industry, there are a few factors you need to keep in mind. These include the availability of trees, map selection, trade, etc. I will guide you through all the steps of building the Forestry Industry in Cities Skylines 2.
1. Find Woody Areas for Forestry
For forestry, you need to find a place with a lot of wood, which means a highly dense forest or greenery. You can easily spot it on almost all of the maps. At the start, you can see this rate at the button of the stats by the tree symbol. Here are some of the maps that provide a lot of trees perfect for the forestry industry.
- Lakeland: 403kt
- River Delta: 369kt
- Windy Fjords: 334kt
Lakelands and River Delta both have a lot of areas where you can start your forestry industry in Cities Skylines 2. Even though both won’t have them in the beginning tiles, you can buy the nearby tiles soon enough to start.
Press M and look at the map in an overview. This confirms the said area as a forestry industry-friendly location. Also, while building on the bought tiles, you can check the forest area under you according to the tiles being bought or in your possession.
If you see no place like this filled with trees, it’s better to wait out and expand your city and then try to plant this industry. If you don’t want to wait or have a low chance of finding trees, you also have an option of planting trees manually to get the effect of a dense forest. Then, set up the industry and start the lumberwork.
2. Set Up Forestry Industry in Cities Skylines 2
To set up the forestry industry, you must first unlock the specialized industry in the development tree. Once done, go to the zones and select the specialized industry. Here, you’ll see an icon with wood. This is the forestry industry with the by-product of wood. Click on it
Paint an area like you do for an industry. Then, outline it using the freehand pen tool. Once a rough area is selected, you’ll get the option of placing the main industry cabin nearby. Place it, and the setup is complete.
If there is a road connecting it to the rest of the city, the industry will start working immediately. If not, use the road tool and stretch the road from the entrance of the building to the rest of the city.
Make sure that the area selected is highlighted green, which indicates that the trees are dense and grown enough to be cut down and used as a resource. Also, check the limit for the forestry industry you can select for this one plant, as you can’t just put the whole forest under one building in Cities Skylines 2.
3. Trade wood
Once you set up the industry, the next step is trading wood. You can use it for export if it is in surplus. Just like any other resource, you can check this balance by clicking the economy tab and selecting production to check how much your city is producing.
At the start of the city, you’ll need to import wood to fulfill your demand. If you see the bar more full in deficit, don’t worry. Once you build your forestry industry, you’ll see the difference, and hopefully, the surplus bar will fill up with the other decrease. At this point, you can export your produce in the green bar.
If both bars are empty, you have nothing to export or import and are producing enough to cover the demand of your city. This is a good start for the industry, so keep it up until you have enough resources. Upgrade and add more buildings to this industry, which will produce more so that wood can be added to the list of exports you can do to earn money.
If your forestry industry is still importing wood after having enough resources, it is likely your city is not used to industry yet. Give it some time and maybe a few in-game weeks to adjust.
Does Forestry Cause Pollution in Cities Skylines 2?
As forestry is an industry that requires power and Oil to work, it may cause some air and noise pollution due to the usual working machines. Although it is not as deadly as other industries, it does contribute to some of the harmful effects on the city.
Not just forestry but for all industries, the pollution is the reason why it should be planted away from the city. Even though Forestry has fewer problems, it is better to plant it away and keep the citizens safe from getting ill.
Can you run out of Wood?
Yes, you can run out of wood if you don’t monitor the renewal rate and continue to produce wood. To monitor this, check the renewal and utilization rate in the info panel. The utilization rate is the speed at which the resource is being used, while the renewal rate is the speed at which the resources are reaching the point of being used as a resource.
Both are important factors when starting a forestry industry, as trees need time to grow back. The best way to avoid this problem is by always keeping the utilization rate lower than the renewal rate. This will keep the production stable with the resources sometimes more than needed.
The Cities Skylines 2 has a built-in function, which helps with this problem. When the industry takes down the trees, new ones are planted. Even though the trees need time to grow, reforestation helps a little. If the problem persists, use your higher power and manually plant some trees. They don’t help much but can repopulate the tree area faster.
