The Forestry Industry in Cities Skylines 2 stands out as one of the simplest specialized industries to set up. It requires minimal effort and quickly integrates into your industrial zones. The primary output of this industry is wood, a highly sought-after commodity in the game.
Before diving into the Cities Skylines 2 forestry setup, there are vital factors to consider:
- Availability of Trees: Essential for a thriving forestry industry.
- Map Selection: Some maps are more conducive to forestry than others.
- Trade Considerations: Understanding the dynamics of resource trade is crucial.
The first step is finding areas rich in wood, typically dense forests or green areas. You can identify these areas in most maps by looking for the tree symbol in the stats. Maps like Lakeland, River Delta, and Windy Fjords are particularly abundant in trees, making them ideal for forestry.
If your initial area lacks sufficient trees, consider expanding your city to include more forested regions. Alternatively, you can manually plant trees to simulate a dense forest, though this is a less efficient approach. Once you’ve identified or created a suitable area, you’re ready to start setting up your industry.
Setting Up The Forgery Industry And Best Locations
To commence your forestry venture in Cities Skylines 2, the first step is unlocking the specialized industry within the game’s development tree. Once unlocked, navigate to the zones section and select the specialized industry option, identifiable by a wood icon. This represents the forestry industry, with wood as its primary by-product​.
After selecting the forestry industry, use the freehand pen tool to paint and outline your designated forestry area. A critical aspect here is ensuring that the selected area is rich in dense, mature trees, indicated by a green highlight. This density is necessary for the trees to be viable for harvesting.
- Lakeland: 403kt
- River Delta: 369kt
- Windy Fjords: 334kt
Once you’ve outlined the area (Lakelands and River Delta locations recommended), you’ll be prompted to place the main industry cabin. Position this cabin strategically, ensuring it’s connected to the city via roads for immediate operation. If a road connection isn’t present, you can use the road tool to extend a route from the building’s entrance to the city. Remember, the forestry industry’s span should be proportional to its management capacity; overextending under one building could hinder efficiency​.
Once you have zoned the area with forestry resources, it’s time to apply industry specialization. Utilize the districts tool, found adjacent to the zoning tool in the menu, to cover the newly zoned area. Essentially, you’ll be “painting” over your designated area. Next, navigate to the second tab in the districts menu, dedicated to industry specialization. Here, select the “forestry” option, which is the first icon, and apply it to your zoned district.
After applying the specialization, click on the name of the district to bring up its info menu. You should see a tree icon next to “Specializations,” confirming the district’s focus on forestry. It’s crucial to ensure that your specialized area is well-connected with roads and possibly rail for efficient operation and transportation of goods.
It’s important to remember that the success of any industry specialization, including forestry, hinges on the availability of relevant natural resources. For forestry, this means having forested areas within your specialized zone. If the specialized area doesn’t align with the natural resources present, the specialization will not function effectively.
Trading Wood and Managing Economy
Once your forestry industry is operational, the next step is managing the trade of wood. You can export surplus wood, a key economic activity for your city. Initially, you might need to import wood to meet local demand, but as your forestry industry develops, you should see a shift towards self-sufficiency and potentially surplus for export.
Economic Balance
Monitor your city’s wood production through the economy tab, where you can view production statistics. A well-balanced forestry industry will show a filled surplus bar and a reduced deficit, indicating efficient production that meets or exceeds local demand. If both bars are empty, your industry is perfectly balanced, producing enough to cover the city’s needs without excess.
Industry Expansion
Over time, as resources permit, consider expanding and upgrading your forestry buildings. This will increase production, enabling you to add wood to your city’s list of exportable goods, further boosting your economy. If your forestry industry continues to import wood despite sufficient resources, it might be an indication that your city’s industry sector is still adapting. Allow a few in-game weeks for adjustments to take effect.
Addressing Pollution, Wood Surplus, Multiple Buildings, And Resource Management
The Forestry Industry in Cities Skylines 2, while essential, does contribute to some environmental concerns. It requires power and oil, which leads to air and noise pollution due to the operation of machinery. Although this pollution is less severe compared to other industries, it’s still advisable to locate your forestry operations away from residential areas to protect citizen health and well-being.
Sustainable Resource Use
A critical aspect of managing a successful forestry industry is balancing the utilization and renewal rates of wood. The utilization rate indicates how fast wood is used, while the renewal rate shows the speed of resource replenishment. To avoid depleting your wood resources, always aim to keep the utilization rate lower than the renewal rate.
Cities Skylines 2 features a reforestation function, which helps by automatically planting new trees as old ones are harvested. However, if you notice a lag in resource replenishment, you can manually plant trees to expedite the process and ensure a steady supply of wood for your industry​.
Scaling the Forestry Industry
Starting with a very large area for your specialized forestry industry isn’t necessarily the wisest approach. It’s more strategic to begin with a smaller, manageable area and then expand as your city’s needs and resources grow. This approach allows for a more controlled development, ensuring that your forestry industry doesn’t outpace the demand or the city’s ability to utilize its resources efficiently.
Multiple Forestry Industry Buildings
Positioning three forestry industry buildings next to each other, each governing a third of the initial area, can be economically sound. This setup can lead to a more balanced and efficient utilization of resources. It encourages diversification within the forestry industry, potentially leading to more specialized production and higher economic gains.
Managing Surplus Production
Producing a massive amount of wood doesn’t necessarily devalue the resource or crash the industry. In Cities Skylines 2, the simulation mechanics focus more on resource utilization and tax revenue rather than market fluctuations. The surplus wood encourages the development of warehouses and factories that utilize these resources, like turning wood into timber and then furniture. You, as the mayor, benefit from taxing the profits of these industries, especially since local availability of wood saves them from import fees, thus increasing their profitability. The key is ensuring enough industrial development to effectively use the surplus wood and having means to sell the finished products.