Pine trees abound in the rolling hills of north and central Louisiana, and much of our economic fortune over the years has come from this sustainable resource. Source: The News-Star
Yet, the past few years have not been kind to the forest products industry in this area. Paper, plywood, fiberboard and lumber mills in our area have fallen victim to the down economy and cheaper production costs elsewhere.
But the pendulum has swung back in favor of this industry, and that’s good economic news for northern Louisiana.
One of the area’s largest private owners of timberlands said the industry is poised for a resurgence here and throughout the South.
Steve Hanley and April Salter of Plum Creek, that owns about 400,000 acres in northern Louisiana, spoke to The News-Star’s Editorial Board this week about the timber industry and the company’s role in it.
Plum Creek owns 6.4 million acres throughout the United States amd employs 25 workers here with offices in Farmerville and Winnfield. It also contracts with 18 to 20 local loggers.
“We just feel the timber business has a tremendously positive horizon,” said Hanley, who works in the Farmerville office as the company’s senior resource manager.
Annual US housing starts, which bottomed out at 500,000 during the depth of the Great Recession, are expected to rise to 1.5 million in 2015.
Timberlands in British Columbia, Canada — America’s biggest competitor — have been decimated by the mountain pine beetle and will need decades to recover.
Demand from China continues to rise, and US timber producers will have to help fill the gap left by British Columbia.
And bioenergy projects that are fueled by wood pellets like the Drax Biomass International plant being constructed in Morehouse Parish, are also increasing.
“No place can respond as quickly to rising demand as the South,” Hanley said.
Mill operators in Louisiana have been investing millions to upgrade their facilities, and the demand for lumber and associated products has created the need for some of these mills to add shifts and employees.
