The South Carolina timber industry is the #1 industry in the state, brings billions of dollars to the economy and thousands of jobs to the people. The forestry commission has put in place a 20/15 Project to enhance the industry to be even more beneficial to the state overall. This plan is proposing an economic increase from $17.4 billion to$20 billion annually, while bringing about 12,000 more jobs. The reason for this proposal is to help South Carolina timber companies, and the state as a whole recover from the recession that devastated the Southeast in the late 2000’s. The reason for the devastation in the timber companies is the drastic decline in the housing industry, which is a staple for the timber companies. Part of this project includes the proposal of extracting wood for burning, biomass, and energy. This alternate form of energy could be very beneficial as it will reduce the reliance on coal, and put the weight of American energy consumption on a renewable resource. However, this project doesn’t only include compliance with the timber industry, but demands legislation and South Carolina State Departments (including the DOT and Commerce) to assist in their needs. The timber companies do hold a lot of power in South Carolina, but to reach their full potential, they need help from the state to make the advancements possible through policy changes and financial support. Policy changes refer mostly to regulations on the transportation of the wood but the funding would support development and research for two different areas, one being the development for practices and machinery to keep up with the new demand for the wood, and the other for research on the best environmental practices. Sometimes the idea of logging doesn’t seem to take into account the environmental factors or the sustainability of the forests. On the contrary, the timber industry is very much aware and striving to achieve maximum sustainability, because without sustainable forests, there would be no industry and no money to be made.
Article: http://www.scforestry.org/SC%20Forestry’s%2020%20x%2015%20Project.pdf
Picture: http://www.southernloggintimesmagazine.com/magazine-issue/january-2013/
Featured Image: http://www.scforestry.org/