James W. Clay

Date of Award

1963

Degree Name

Geography

College

College of Education

Type of Degree

M.A.

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Robert L. Britton

Second Advisor

A. E. Harris

Abstract

West Virginia is traditionally a wood-producing state. Approximately 64 per cent of its land area is classified as commercial forest, and it has ranked as one of the nation’s top four producers of hardwood lumber for the past century.

A long-term failure of the state has been its inability to attract secondary wood industries into the area. The major portion of lumber produced in the state has been sent to outside concerns for further manufacturing and processing. In the past decade only about 18 per cent of the lumber produced in West Virginia was used for manufacture within the state. This practice has resulted in the exploitation of the area’s forests without contributing long range benefits to its citizens. The failure to take full advantage of the area’s timber resources has led to considerable loss of revenue and employment during the past half century.

At this time, when the future for the pulp and paper industry seems promising and West Virginia needs dynamic new industries, we should not overlook the manufacturing of pulp and paper as a potential industrial opportunity. The state should view with skepticism the role of raw material exporters and word toward a goal of building an integrated pulp and paper industry within the state.

Subject(s)

Wood-pulp industry – West Virginia.

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