ISSUE:

Why should I worry about West Virginia’s forests? I only own a few acres. Talk to the big timber companies, they own thousands of acres.

FACTS:

The majority, 79%, of West Virginia’s forests are owned by farmers, individuals and other non-industrial private landowners.

The government, at various levels, owns slightly less than 12% of West Virginia’s forest land.

Wood product companies, including sawmills and finished product manufacturing firms, own only 9% of the forest land in West Virginia.

Therefore,wood product companies rely heavily on non-industrial private landowners for their wood supply and could not survive without them.

Currently, more than 80% of the timber harvested in West Virginia comes from non-industrial private landowners.