The United States Woodpulp Industry - Forest Products Laboratory ...

Regional Pulpmill Capacity
Of the four regions (Northeast, North Central, South, and
West, shown in fig. A-1), the South has the largest pulping
capacity, with 147 active mills in 1983. These mills are
capable of producing 114,000 tons per day, nearly two-thirds
of U.S. capacity (fig. 2, table A-3). The West is the second
largest regional capacity at 30,000 tons per day, 17 percent
of U.S. capacity. Capacity in the Northeast is 16,000 tons
(9 pct) and in the North Central region is 13,000 tons per
day (8 pct). Southern mills are larger than those in other
regions.
Since 1920, mill capacity has increased in all regions.
Trends in the number of mills, however, vary in different
regions. In the South, the number of mills has increased
from 24 to 147 between 1920 and 1983 (table A-3). In the
West the number of mills increased from 1920 through 1970,
peaking at 75 then dropping to 62 by 1983. The Northeast
steadily lost mills, dropping from a high of 197 in 1920 to 48
in 1983. Numbers of North Central mills fluctuated widely,
standing at 58 in 1983.
The South is dominant in the woodpulp industry because its
timber resources can support large sulfate pulping mills. The
southern pines are highly resinous and thus ideally suited to
the sulfate pulping process. Large volumes of both
roundwood pulpwood and sawmill and plywood plant
residues provide the large quantities of relatively inexpensive
pulpwood needed by southern sulfate mills (Guthrie 1972).
In 1983, 76 percent of all sulfate pulp capacity was in the
South, accounting for 80 percent of the South’s total
capacity. Much of the remaining sulfate capacity and over
half the sulfite capacity is located in the West. Western
softwoods such as fir, spruce, and hemlock are well suited
to sulfite pulping because of their low resin content. The
Northeast and North Central regions tend to produce pulp
grades, such as semichemical, capable of using the
abundant hardwood resource efficiently. Regional
differences also reflect the installation dates and differing
economies of scale between major pulping processes.
Figure 2—Capacity of woodpulp mills in different regions,
and total capacity 1920-83.
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