The Cardboard Box Economy Is Breaking Down
Summary
Ryan December and Ryan Knudson explore the collapsing pulpwood market, where declining cardboard demand and cheap foreign competition have rendered small trees nearly worthless. This crisis threatens Southern pine farmers like Bill Howard, who once relied on pulpwood sales to sustain their lumber operations. With mills closing and prices plummeting, growers face an existential dilemma: abandon forestry for solar or agriculture, or bet on uncertain new markets like sustainable aviation fuel.
Topics discussed
The surprising decline in per capita cardboard usage
The collapse of the pulpwood market and tree growers' crisis
How pine tree farming works: planting thick and cutting quick
Pulpwood as a profitable byproduct of lumber farming
Foreign competition and mill closures driving down prices
Bill Howard: A fourth-generation sawmill owner's struggle
Changing planting strategies and falling seedling sales
Alternative uses for pulpwood: solar, blueberries, and fuel
The emotional attachment to land and hope for the future
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