South Carolina’s timber industry is struggling; more is at stake than you might think

By the Editorial Staff
The Post and Courier
January 25, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

South Carolina’s $23 billion forest industry and its approximately 100,000 jobs are not the only things threatened by a spate of mill closings that have driven down timber prices; the industry’s struggle also threatens to undermine conservation work, as many private landowners count on revenue from future logging to offset money they’re leaving on the table by limiting what can be built on their land. When International Paper and WestRock announced they’re shuttering their mills in Georgetown and North Charleston, respectively, they joined eight other mills or wood product companies that have closed or scaled back operations in the past five years. The S.C. Forestry Commission estimates that 20% of the timber market has dried up. …the state could help in the long run by increasing demand by tasking the Forestry Commission with recruiting new markets and working to recruit related companies, and look for ways to help existing mills remain open. 

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