Southern forest markets are undergoing a significant transformation as pulp and paper mill closures and changing demand reduce outlets for pulpwood and other wood fiber.
In a new Wall Street Journal feature, Ryan Dezember examines the forces behind that shift and what they mean for forest owners across the South. The story illustrates the broader consequences of shrinking markets, including depressed wood prices, fewer buyers and increasing difficulty generating revenue from essential forest management practices like thinning.
Most importantly, the article shows what is at stake when markets disappear: not only jobs and rural economies, but the economic foundation that helps keep working forests intact.
A companion episode of The Wall Street Journal’s The Journal podcast, “The Cardboard Box Economy Is Breaking Down,” further explores the forces reshaping pulp and paper markets.